One of the Sunday comic strips' most prolific characters is on the big screen once again. We already knew a bit about the latest Garfield movie, and instead of revisiting the movies made famous by Bill Murray and Breckin Meyer, we received a fresh cast to tell a new story.
By now anyone looking for further details on the movie can watch it for themselves, and they definitely should based on the cast participating and the past work they've done, resumés that will no doubt elevate the story of the lasagna-loving cat who hates Mondays. Let's dive in on this updated list and see which talented actors are going to be a part of this animated adventure arriving in May of 2024:
Chris Pratt As Garfield
Chris Pratt isn't as known for his voice acting roles, but after success with The Lego Movies and Onward and scoring the leading voice role of Mario for The Super Mario Bros. movie, he's actually on a hot streak. He will now be the latest leading actor in Hollywood to voice Garfield, which is another feather in his cap. Fans were critical of how Pratt voiced Mario, but that didn't impact the movie from doing big numbers at the box office.
While we don't know a ton about what to expect for Garfield, we know the title character quite well. Garfield is a lazy and sarcastic cat who loves to eat and tease his master Jon Arbuckle and the dim-witted dog Odie. I can't imagine a movie will deviate too much from the norm in that regard, though there could be a few changes.
Samuel L. Jackson As Vic
Similar to Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson isn't exactly a name one immediately associates with voice acting. People still love Frozone from The Incredibles franchise, however, which might be why he's been tapped to play Vic. Vic is a new character entirely original to the franchise, and he just so happens to be Garfield's dad.
I have no idea what to expect when it comes to what Garfield's father, Vic, will be like, though we do know Samuel L. Jackson has a knack for playing intense characters. Perhaps we'll be shocked to see that Garfield's father is absolutely nothing like him, or maybe Jackson is playing a character that's out of line with something he'd typically do in Hollywood. I'm curious what this portrayal will look like, but considering what happens to curious cats, maybe I shouldn't state that in this breakdown.
Nicholas Hoult - Jon Arbuckle
Nicholas Hoult was added to the Garfield movie as Jon Arbuckle (via imdb), the owner of Garfield. The actor is coming off a performance in The Menu, however, and is starring in the Nicolas Cage vampire movie Renfield, not to mention his work in The Great on Hulu. Hoult is finding ways to stay busy in Hollywood and is adding a lot of diversity to his portfolio with his latest projects.
As far as voice-acting is concerned, Nicholas Hoult has a few projects he's done over the years. He voiced the rabbit Fiver in the 2018 adaptation of Watership Down and voiced both Harry Potter and Captain America once for Robot Chicken. He also voiced the character Elliot in the acclaimed game Fable 3, so Garfield is hardly new territory for him when it comes to voice acting.
Hannah Waddingham - Jinx
Hannah Waddingham's stock is still on the rise thanks to her former role as Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso, and now she's bringing her talents to Garfield. Though we know that Waddingham is in the movie, little was released about her character Jinx ahead of the movie's release.
Unlike actors previously mentioned in this lineup, Hannah Waddingham doesn't have a ton of voice-acting credits. One thing we do know is that she'll be a part of the voice cast from the upcoming animated comedy series Krapopolis, which hails from Rick & Morty co-creator Dan Harmon. Garfield will add another voice-acting role to her resume, and maybe open up the door to more roles down the line.
Ving Rhames - Otto
Ving Rhames will also lend his talents to the Garfield movie, and like the case was with many others on this list, we didn't have a ton of info on his character Otto. What we do know is that Rhames is an excellent addition to the voice-acting cast of any movie, and that's evidenced by his track record.
Known to Disney fans as Agent Cobra Bubbles, Ving Rhames has served as the voice for the Lilo & Stitch character in several appearances. He's also used his voice in a number of video game and animated movie roles, and many will no doubt recognize him as the voice guy for many Arby's commercials. Hopefully, that doesn't make too many Garfield viewers hungry if they associate those commercials with his character.
Brett Goldstein - Roland
Brett Goldstein was one of the more recent additions to the voice cast of Garfield. It's a big old mystery the role his Roland will play in the upcoming animated movie but given some Ted Lasso fans think he's a CGI character anyway, it shouldn't be too hard for him to prepare for the role.
The Garfield movie is blessed to have not one but two Ted Lasso stars on the cast, even if Brett Goldstein isn't the most seasoned voice actor in Hollywood. He did have a voice credit a year ago as Tony Stark in Robot Chicken, though, so this upcoming role won't be his first rodeo.
Cecily Strong - Marge
Just ahead of the announcement of her official exit from Saturday Night Live, Cecily Strong was confirmed as part of the voice cast of Garfield. If readers haven't noticed a trend by now, we're weren't aware of the details surrounding Strong's Marge ahead of the film's release.
Ahead of Garfield, Cecily Strong had some voice roles in Hollywood. She voiced a few characters for the Hulu animated comedy The Awesomes and also has an animated credit on The David S. Pumpkins Animated Special. As Mr. Pumpkins would say, "Any questions?"
Bowen Yang - Nolan
Saturday Night Live cast member Bowen Yang might be one of the fresher faces on the sketch comedy show, but he's a rising star in Hollywood. It's no surprise then that Yang was part of the voice cast for Garfield, though little was known about his character Nolan.
Bowen Yang hasn't been around Hollywood as long as some of his co-stars, but he's already built a commendable voice-acting resume. He's a featured voice in projects like Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again and Archer, to name a few.
Catch Garfield in theaters in May of 2024. Those looking to kill some time as we wait for the movie's arrival can check out some other Chris Pratt movies, a number of which are on streaming.
