IS REVEALED BY ONE BILLION SLING SHOTS:
JASON SUDEIKIS, JOSH GAD, DANNY McBRIDE, BILL HADER,
MAYA RUDOLPH, AND PETER DINKLAGE
ESPOO,
Finland and CULVER CITY, Calif. USA, October 1, 2014 – Over the past 48
hours, fans of Angry Birds have discovered a reveal within the game: by
slinging one billion birds, fans had the chance to unlock the voice
cast and get a sneak peek at the new look of the characters of the Angry
Birds feature film.
Jason Sudeikis (
Horrible Bosses, last year’s comedy hit
We're the Millers) will lead the cast as Red, a bird with a temper problem. Josh Gad, in his first animated role since the global smash hit
Frozen, plays speedy Chuck, and Danny McBride (
This is the End,
Eastbound & Down) portrays the volatile Bomb. Bill Hader (
Saturday Night Live,
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) has joined the pork side, Maya Rudolph (
Bridesmaids, The Maya Rudolph Show) will play Matilda, and Peter Dinklage (
Game of Thrones, X-Men: Days of Future Past) will play the legendary Mighty Eagle.
In the supporting roles, Keegan-Michael Key (Comedy Central’s
Key & Peele), Kate McKinnon (Emmy nominee for
Saturday NightLive), Tony Hale (Emmy winner for
Veep, Arrested Development), Ike Barinholtz (
Neighbors, The Mindy Project), Hannibal Buress (
Broad City,
Neighbors), Cristela Alonzo (ABC’s upcoming
Cristela), Jillian Bell (
22 Jump Street), Danielle Brooks (
Orange is the New Black),
Grammy nominee and Latin music sensation Romeo Santos, and YouTube
stars Smosh (Ian Andrew Hecox and Anthony Padilla), who have over 30
million YouTube subscribers, will bring an extra kick to this angry
flock.
John Cohen, producer of the film said, “I’m
extremely proud of this cast. Not only do we have Jason, Josh, Danny,
Bill, Maya, and Peter bringing these characters to life, but they’re
surrounded by an all-star ensemble of emerging comedic talent – these
are some of the funniest people out there today, and we’re thrilled to
have them all on board.”
Dwight Caines, president,
Theatrical Marketing for Sony Pictures, said, “With two and a half
billion gamers around the world, Angry Birds is one of those brands that
can drive massive fan engagement. That’s why we wanted to bring this
unlock to the fans first. Our filmmakers are cooking up a hilarious
movie, and we know these fans can’t wait to see how they’re going to
bring the Angry Birds’ story to life on the big screen of movie
theaters.”
“We heard limbs and dialogue were all the rage in modern animation so we went all in. Not just one, but
all of our characters have legs and wings! Except for the pigs, that is,” added Blanca Juti, Chief Marketing Officer of Rovio.
The
upcoming movie marks Rovio’s first foray into feature films, although
fans have already been introduced to the Angry Birds world with the
weekly Angry Birds Toons animated series. Rovio launched the series last
year through its Angry Birds game, as well as on select video-on-demand
channel providers, Smart TVs, connected devices, and on select TV
networks around the world. Paving the way for a full-length feature
film, Angry Birds Toons has been a massive success for Rovio and has
surpassed more than three billion views in its first 18 months.
Set to debut in the US on
July 1, 2016,
Angry Birds is directed by Fergal Reilly and Clay Kaytis, produced by
John Cohen and Catherine Winder, and executive produced by Mikael Hed
and David Maisel. The film is written by Jon Vitti. The film, which will
be distributed globally by Sony Pictures, is produced by Rovio, and the
Academy Award®-winning visual effects and animation company Sony
Pictures Imageworks, headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., is the animation
facility for the production.