Variety has revealed that Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), Hugh Laurie (House), Gemma Arterton (Vita & Virginia), David Thewlis (Wonder Woman), Himesh Patel (Yesterday) and Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) are set to lend their voices to the animated feature The Amazing Maurice.
Based on the late Terry Pratchett’s 2011 Discworld novel The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, the film will follow “a streetwise ginger cat who has the perfect money-making scam. He finds a kid who plays a pipe, and also befriends his very own horde of talking rats. When they reach the stricken town of Bad Blintz, their con game goes awry.”
The Amazing Maurice was first announced last year by German production outfit Ulysses Filmproduktion (Luis and the Aliens), who are now joined on the project by Sky, Cantilever Media and animation companies Studio Rakete and Red Star Animation, along with Pratchett’s Narrativia production outfit. Toby Genkel (Two by Two: Overboard!) and Florian Westermann (Little Dodo) are directing the film.
“The Amazing Maurice is a fantastic story from a legendary author, and I couldn’t think of a better tale to bring to life as an animated film for all the family,” said Sarah Wright, director of Sky U.K.’s cinema and acquisitions. “I’m excited to work with Ulysses Filmproduktion and Cantilever Media to bring this exclusive new movie to Sky Cinema audiences in 2022.”
