Back in 2016, Hollywood announced to the world that phone apps were now fair game for feature film adaptation with The Angry Birds Movie. The animated kids film didn't land with critics, but as an inoffensive kids film with name recognition, it performed well enough at the box office to warrant a sequel, and thus a franchise. Angry Birds 2 isn't scheduled to hit theaters until next year, but it is already adding to the fun voice cast from the first film. Joining the returning cast of Jason Sudeikis, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad, Danny McBride and Bill Hader are Sterling K. Brown, Leslie Jones, Lil Rel Howery, Awkwafina, Dove Cameron, Rachel Bloom, Eugenio Derbez, Beck Bennett and Brooklynn Prince.
Primarily a TV actor for years, Sterling K. Brown's breakout roles in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson and This Is Us have seen his stock rise as he finds himself an increasing big screen presence. He will be in the bonkers-looking action flick Hotel Artemis this summer, as well as the continuation of the the Predator franchise, The Predator, later this year. While we don't yet know his role (although I assume it will be a bird, or a pig, one of the two), Sterling K. Brown seems well suited to voiceover work in a kids movie like this. He has a recognizable and soothing voice, and I could totally see him playing a wise bird giving sage advice, or a father figure-type character like on This Is Us.
Of all the new people added to this cast, Leslie Jones seems the best suited to the animation realm. Her boisterous and animated personality should bring a lot of fun and humor to Angry Birds 2. The actress has already had some fun in this realm when she voiced a character in 2016's Sing, a movie that new Angry Bird Beck Bennett also starred in. The voice cast is crucial to bringing the humor and excitement to a movie like this, and listening to Leslie Jones play off Jason Sudeikis' straight man Red should be fun.
Next up is Lil Rel Howery, the comedian and actor who burst onto the scene in Jordan Peele's Get Out. A lot of the humor Lil Rel Howery brought in that movie was just via the phone conversations he was having with Daniel Kaluuya's Chris, so the actor can clearly provide laughs just with his delivery.
Rachel Bloom is no stranger to voice work either, having worked on series like Bojack Horseman and Robot Chicken. Her lead role on the musical comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has also shown her versatility so perhaps her casting indicates that Angry Birds 2 will be bringing in a musical element.
This new voice cast, announced by producer John Cohen on Twitter, clearly shows that the sequel film is aiming for an even more diverse array of voices for the animated characters. There's definitely a focus on up-and-coming talent, too. Awkwafina will be in Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians this year, and Dove Cameron is currently on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Mexicana actor Eugenio Derbez will bring some latin flavor to the proceedings, and casting The Florida Project's Brooklynn Prince means we'll probably be getting some younger characters in the movie.
Looking back at the first film, Angry Birds 2 may not be for everyone and it will certainly be geared towards a younger audience. It will all depend on the script and direction, but Angry Birds 2 will have no shortage of talent. Angry Birds 2 is scheduled to fly into theaters on September 20th, 2019.
