It seems Robert Downey Jr will be joined by some stellar talent on Doctor Dolittle, including one of his Marvel co-stars.
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That would be Spider-Man actor Tom Holland, who has been cast in the film alongside actress Emma Thompson and Ralph Fiennes. The cast will also include Antonio Banderas and Michael Sheen, who will all be lending their voices to the animals that Dolittle can speak with (via THR).
No specific names were given for Holland, Thompson, or Fiennes, though Banderas will be playing Rassouli and Sheen will be playing Mudfly respectively.
Not much is known about the newest iteration of the long-running character, but the film is being directed by Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana), and will be produced by Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum, and Susan Downey.
Most of the stars on Dolittle have or are voicing characters in other projects. Holland is set to voice a character in Spies in Disguise, while Thompson voiced Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast. As for Fiennes, he recently gave voice to Alfred Pennyworth in the LEGO Batman Movie, and many are well aware of Banderas’ voice work as Puss in Boots in the Shrek movies. As for Michael Sheen, his last voice acting performance came courtesy of the White Rabbit in Alice Through The Looking Glass.
Doctor Dolittle was created in the 1920s as a Victorian-era physician who could speak to animals. The star of many children’s books, the story was then adapted for a musical film in 1967, and a series of family comedies in 1998 and 2001. Downey Jr. will be the third actor to star in the role, which was previously held by Rex Harrison (1967’s Doctor Dolittle) and Eddie Murphy (1998’s Doctor Dolittle and 2001’s Dr. Dolittle 2). There was also a spin-off straight to home video film from that series called Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief, which hit in 2008.
The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle currently has no release date.
