GKIDS, an indie producer and distributor, has recently announced the English voice cast for the highly anticipated hand-drawn animated film, The Boy and the Heron, by acclaimed filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.
The star-studded cast includes Christian Bale as Shoichi Maki, Dave Bautista as the Parakeet King, Gemma Chan as Natsuko, Willem Dafoe as the Noble Pelican, Karen Fukuhara as Lady Himi, Mark Hamill as Grand uncle, Robert Pattinson as The Grey Heron, and Florence Pugh as Kiriko.
Additionally, Luca Padovan joins the cast as the protagonist, Mahito Maki, while Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revolori, and Dan Stevens lend their talents as the Parakeets. GKIDS took charge of the casting process and collaborated closely with Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli to produce the English version of the film.
The Boy and the Heron, an original semi-autobiographical tale, marks Miyazaki’s long-awaited return after a decade. It will be released on 8 December in the original Japanese and English versions in North America. The movie has captivated audiences in Japan since its release on July 14. It premised internationally as the opening night film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
To add to the excitement, the film will be presented in IMAX at the TCL Chinese Theater on October 18 to kick off the Animation is Film Festival. GKIDS is responsible for distributing Studio Ghibli films in North America and also organizes the annual Ghibli Fest.
The talented cast members are all represented by major agencies, such as WME Viewpoint and Goodman Genow Schenkman Smelkinson for Christian Bale, CAA Meisner Entertainment Groups Jonathan Meisner, Kovert Creative, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman’s Karl Austen for Dave Bautista, Independent, WME, and M88 for Gemma Chan, Circle of Confusion, WME, and Narrative for Willem Dafoe, UTA and Stride Management for Karen Fukuhara, Gersh RCPMK and Robert M Lange for Mark Hamill, WME, Curtis Brown, 3 Arts Entertainment, Narrative, and Sloane Offer Weber Dern for Robert Pattinson, CAA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, Shelter PR, and Gregory Slewett from JSSK for Florence Pugh.
