The latest name to sign on to ShadowMachine's R-rated stop-motion comedy Hell & Back is none other than alt comedy icon Bob Odenkirk. From the studio that spawned the wacky, nostalgia-packed Adult Swim sketch show Robot Chicken comes a dark comedy that stars Nick Swardson (Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star) and T.J. Miller (How to Train Your Dragon) as Remy and Augie, a pair of best buds forced to traverse hell itself after a mutual friend is mistakenly claimed by Satan. While Rob Riggle has committed to play their damned buddy and Mila Kunis is slated to lend her voice to a rogue demon, Deadline reveals Odenkirk will be playing the devil himself.
Notably, rather than being a hard-ass as he was on How I Met Your Mother or a snake oil salesman as he is on Breaking Bad, Odenkirk's devil is a bit beleaguered by the job he's held since before time began. It's a slightly unexpected twist on Satan, and one for which Odenkirk's gruff tone seems perfectly suited. In fact, producers Corey Campodonico, Eric Blyler and Alex Bulkley have so far culled together a pretty impeccable voice cast.
Swardson and Miller have steadily established themselves as character actors who do best with dopey roles. Riggle, who proved his comedic savvy on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, has a go-for-broke bravado that has made him a memorable supporting player in such big comedies as The Hangover and 21 Jump Street. And of course Kunis came up through the sharp sitcom That '70s Show, and since then has regularly contributed voice work to Robot Chicken and Family Guy. No announcement has been made as to when Hell & Back will go into production, but with Odenkirk on board, I'd bet we'll get word on more noteworthy comedians rushing to Hell in no time.
