Robert Downey Jr. reveals star-studded cast in 'Voyage of Doctor Dolittle'
Robert Downey Jr. just revealed the stars joining him in the upcoming The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle. The sheer amount of talent is overwhelming, but the fact that they'll all be voicing animals -- and imagining these Oscar-nominated performers as animals -- is the true joy.
The award-winning and nominated actors include: Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility) as a parrot, Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) as a gorilla, Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures, The Shape of Water) as a duck, Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel) as a tiger, Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) as an ostrich, and Carmen Ejogo (Selma) as a lioness.
But it doesn't stop there: Selena Gomez will be featured as a giraffe named Betsy, comedian Craig Robinson as a mouse, and wrestler John Cena as a polar bear.
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If this movie plays out anything like the cacophony of silliness that's happening inside our heads right now, sign us the hell up.
But The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, which is slated for release on April 12, 2019, isn't all amazing actors as CGI animals. Downey will be playing as the protagonist physician who learns he can talk to animals. Other stars in human roles include Antonio Banderas and Michael Sheen.
Little else is known about this new adaptation of Hugh Lofting’s famed children’s book from the '20s. Unlike the Eddie Murphy-starring movies from the late '90s, this reboot bares the same name as Lofting's sequel to the original Dolittle book -- which was aimed at a more mature audience.
One thing is known for sure: if a Selena Gomez-voiced giraffe doesn't sell tickets to Universal's upcoming blockbuster, nothing will.
Jess is an LA-based culture critic who covers intimacy in the digital age, from sex and relationship to weed and all media (tv, games, film, the web). Previously associate editor at Kill Screen, you can also find her words on Vice, The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Vox, and others. She is a Brazilian-Swiss American immigrant with a love for all things weird and magical.
