Bill Hader to Voice The Cat in the Hat for Warner Bros. Animation

Bill Hader may be shifting from the dark and gritty world of HBO’s Barry to the whimsical tales of Dr. Seuss. According to Jeff Sneider’s The InSneider newsletter, the Primetime Emmy-winning triple-threat has signed on to voice The Cat in the Hat Warner Bros. Pictures Animation’s adaptation of the classic children’s book. The upcoming CG-animated movie was first annoucned years ago in a pact between Warner Bros. and the Seuss Estate, though plans were delayed by the pandemic. Hader is the first cast member to become attached to the project, and it marks an interesting role for him since he actually played The Cat in the Hat during a sketch on Saturday Night Live when he was still a cast member.

Last we heard about Warner Bros. Pictures Animation’s The Cat in the Hat movie it was with news that it had been delayed. Previously slated for a February 23, 2024 release date, the new adaptation of the Dr. Seuss book is still without a release date, but could arrive in 2025 according to Sneider. Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni (Kung Fu Panda 3) will reportedly co-direct the movie which boasts a script by Rivinoja and Caroline Williams (Arrested Development).

Bill Damaschke took on the role of president of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation back in 2023, with the upcoming The Cat in the Hat one of the first high profile projects on his new slate. When the project was first announced it came with the reveal the first part in an expanded Suess-centric universe of movies that were in the works at the studio. Beyond The Cat in the Hat it was previously reported that animated movies based the characters of Thing One and Thing Two, plus an adaptation of another Seuss classic, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! were also being planned. 

“For the first time we’re not just doing one film for one book. We’re going to franchise-build beyond the initial story of these books and find out what happens next,” Dr. Seuss Enterprises CEO Susan Brandt previously told Vanity Fair. “I call it stretching the fabric. How far can it go, to go a little bit deeper with our characters.”  

Dr. Seuss adaptations previously only existed on the small screen as animated television specials as fans of his book may recall, including Chuck Jones-produced versions of How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, The Cat in the Hate, and Horton Hears a Who! 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas seemingly blew the doors off the potential for live-action adaptations, with the Ron Howard-directed, Jim Carrey-starring movie grossing over $340 million at the global box office. This was quickly stopped almost immediately by the live-action version of The Cat in the Hat however, with only animated movies happening in its wake. Animated adaptations of Horton Hears a Who!, The Lorax, and The Grinch would follow, plus a TV series of Green Eggs and Ham on Netflix that ran for two seasons.