The Ratchet & Clank animated movie will feature the voices of some high-end Hollywood talent, including actors Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, and Sylvester Stallone.
Rainmaker Entertainment and Blockade Entertainment announced the cast today for the theatrical feature based on Insomniac’s iconic PlayStation video game franchise. The cast announcement shows that Ratchet & Clank are getting a big-budget Hollywood treatment. That’s only fair, since Ratchet & Clank has sold more than 26 million copies during its long history in video games dating back to 2002 on the PlayStation 2.
The cast also includes actresses Bella Thorne and Rosario Dawson. Rainmaker chief creative officer Michael Hefferon, and Blockade Entertainment CEO Brad Foxhoven made the announcement along with China’s CNHK Media. The film will be screening this week for international distributors this week at the Marché du Film in Cannes 2015. The film is about two unlikely heroes who struggle to stop a vile alien named Chairman Drek from destroying every planet in the Solana Galaxy.
Above: Ratchet & Clank
The stars include Giamatti (who has been in films including The Amazing Spider Man 2, Saving Mr. Banks, Sideways) who will provide the voice for Chairman Drek; Golden Globe winner Goodman (Transformers, Monsters Inc., Monsters University, Argo) as Grimroth; Thorne (Snow Queen 2, Blended) as Cora; Dawson (Marvel’s Daredevil, Percy Jackson, Sin City) as Elaris; and Stallone (Creed, Rambo, The Expendables, Rocky) as Victor.
James Arnold Taylor, who plays the voice of Ratchet in the video game, will play the same role as the voice of Ratchet in the film. David Kaye, who plays Clank in the games, will reprise that role in the movie. And Armin Shimerman (Bionicle: Legend Reborn, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) will play Nefarious, and Jim Ward (Fairly Odd Parents, Escape from Planet Earth) will be Captain Qwark.
“The collaborative relationship between Rainmaker Entertainment, PlayStation, Insomniac Games and all our partners has helped us to bring this massive game franchise to the big screen,” said Hefferon, in a statement. “Our outstanding celebrity talent together with the original voices from the game really bring these characters to life, and we are confident that Ratchet & Clank will delight fans with its authenticity and charm, while families everywhere will find a new family-friendly buddy duo to love.”
The film is being directed by Kevin Munroe, director of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and it is co-directed by Jericca Cleland.
“We are honored and thrilled to have these actors join our cast,” added Blockade Entertainment’s Foxhoven, in a statement. “Their unique voices, and the level of humor and emotion they bring to their roles will help to create some endearing and memorable characters in the film.”
The film is being produced by Blockade’s Foxhoven and vice president of development David Wohl along with Rainmaker’s senior vice president Kim Dent Wilder. Hefferon serves as lead executive producer. Former Insomniac Games writer TJ Fixman wrote the original screenplay draft.
“Everyone at Insomniac is thrilled that Ratchet & Clank will be shared in cinemas around the world with new and longtime fans alike,” said Insomniac Games founder and CEO Ted Price. “It’s been particularly exciting to collaborate closely with PlayStation, Rainmaker and Blockade on character design, story, animation, game asset sharing and marketing support to ensure an authentic Ratchet & Clank intergalactic adventure.”
Ratchet is the last of his kind – a foolhardy “lombax” who has grown up alone on a backwater planet with no family of his own. Clank is a pint-sized robot with more brains than brawn. When the two stumble upon a dangerous weapon capable of destroying entire planets, they must join forces with a team of colorful heroes called The Galactic Rangers in order to save the galaxy. Along the way, they will learn about heroism, friendship, and the importance of discovering one’s own identity.
Co-financing was arranged by David Sheldon’s Seattle based Film Financial Services (FFS) and includes Rainmaker as the lead investor along with China’s CNHK (backed by Wang Sicong’s Prometheus Capital), and Cinema Management Group.