DreamWorks Animation is filling out the cast of its upcoming animated feature Penguins of Madagascar, and in doing so they have brought aboard two of the most gifted actors out there. Benedict Cumberbatch and John Malkovich, according to The Wrap, are now set to lend their voices to characters in the new animated feature.
The movie is being directed by Simon J. Smith, who last helmed 2007's Bee Movie, and is getting a script from Michael Colton and John Aboud. While there don't appear to be any plot details around, Malkovich is reportedly playing "the film's charming villain," while Cumberbatch will be "a high-ranking animal CIA agent hot on his trail." The article doesn't mention what species of animal either character will be, how the penguins fit into the conflict between the characters, or who else from the rest of the Madagascar universe will be featured in the movie (though we can at the very least assume that actor/director Tom McGrath will be back as Skipper). The film is currently in production and has a set release date for March 27, 2015.
Fans of Cumberbatch are set to have a lovely autumn, as the actor will be just about everywhere in the next few months. Not only does he have Bill Condon's The Fifth Estate, Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave, John Wells' August: Osage County, and Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug coming out in theaters between now and the end of the year, we will also soon see the start of the third season of Sherlock. Of all those titles, The Fifth Estate will be coming first, set to arrive on October 18th. You can watch the movie's trailer below.
He is also currently working on Stephen Wallis' fantasy movie Magik, has Guillermo del Toro's haunted house horror film Crimson Peak starting up early next year, and is attached to star in the Alan Turing biopic The Imitation Game. Not only are the next few months jammed with Cumberbatch, it seems we'll be doing just fine through 2014 as well.
And while Malkovich hasn't been as busy as Cumberbatch, he has been working. Just recently seen in Red 2, the actor is currently working with both Liam Hemsworth and his Warm Bodies co-star Teresa Palmer on the thriller Cut Bank, and he is also attached to star in the Austrian-made drama The Giacomo Variations. He will also be playing the dread pirate Blackbeard in the upcoming NBC series Crossbones. The series, which comes from Neil Cross (Luther), is getting a mid-season start and will be airing on Friday nights.
