Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!
Chris Pratt will voice your favorite lasagna-lovin’ cat in new Garfield animated movie
Of course they’d pick a Monday to announce the big Garfield news.
Chris Pratt must be keeping the vocal coaches busy these days, because he’s just picked up another new voice acting gig playing another '80s icon. Fresh on the heels of donning the plumbers' cap to voice Mario in Nintendo’s upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie, the Marvel mainstay has just been tapped to do the sarcastic vocal honors as the lasagna-lovin’ feline star of an upcoming animated movie based on Garfield.
Aptly enough, considering how badly the wisecracking orange tabby hates Mondays, Sony Pictures chose the Monday after Halloween to announce both the film and Pratt’s casting as its lead vocal star, via The Hollywood Reporter. Developed by Alcon Entertainment, the Garfield movie reportedly is being directed by Mark Dindal from a script by Oscar-nominated writer David Reynolds (Finding Nemo), both of whom previously teamed on Disney’s animated comedy The Emperor’s New Groove.
Believe it or not, Garfield himself is 43 years young, having first debuted in 1978 as creator Jim Davis’ wry, slow-paced, and lazily manipulative smart aleck star of the comic strip that bears his name. Garfield’s knack for antagonizing canine pal Odie (and getting what he wants out of Jon, his hapless housemaster) proved a winning formula; Garfield eventually would go on to claim the Guinness World Record as the most widely-syndicated comic strip in history — a title it still holds.
Davis himself will reportedly serve as one of the upcoming film’s executive producers, according to THR. Animation reportedly will be done by DNEG Animation, whose recent work includes 20th Century Studio’s CGI feature Ron’s Gone Wrong, which debuted last month.
While Pratt’s proven his comedic chops all across the entertainment spectrum from Parks and Recreation to Guardians of the Galaxy, he’s definitely got some big paws to fill when it comes to voicing a cat as cool as Garfield. The past two Garfield movies — 2004’s Garfield and 2006’s Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties — each featured Bill Murray in the leading role.
There’s no early word on a premiere date for the upcoming film.
