BOOM! Studios’ beloved Mouse Guard is finally moving forward towards a big screen release, and 20th Century Fox’s adaptation is continuing the momentum with its latest potential addition. According to THR, the studio is in final negotiations with Idris Elba to join the cast, and he will join a talented cast that already includes Andy Serkis and Thomas Brodie-Sangster. As for who he would be playing, that would be the part of Celanawe, a legendary champion from the past who is described as an Obi-Wan Kenobi type figure.
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We imagine Elba’s character will be interacting a bit with Brodie-Sangster’s character Lieam, who will play a new member of the Guard. Lieam and the rest of the Guard will be facing down Serkis’ character Midnight, who turns on the Guard after serving as their Blacksmith. The film will feature heavy motion capture with WETA handling the special effects.
The film is based on the original graphic novel series from writer David Petersen and focuses on a group of mice who are the sworn protectors of their realm. They will face down not only their own in Midnight but also foxes, eagles, and other predators who look upon mice as appetizing snacks, but these mice don’t go down easily.
For director Wes Ball, the biggest challenge is balancing tone, but the answer to that challenge is to make sure they are staying true to the series’ more grounded approach.
“The trick with this one is we have to thread that needle with tone,” Ball told ComicSoon.net. “I’m not interested in doing a DreamWorks or Pixar-type movie, I’m interested in doing something closer to Planet of the Apes where you’re really gonna nail characters and show the harsh reality of what they live in. It’s gonna be a little bit of both, probably, but at the same time because of the cost I need as big an audience as possible. So I want 10-year olds to see this as much as 40 and 50-year olds, you know? That’s the needle we have to thread, but for me personally… the way Star Wars appealed to me as a kid growing up hit that tone in a weird way. It appealed to the kid in everybody but still took itself seriously. That’s really exciting to me, that kind of film, that kind of target, but obviously set in this really harsh world of mice and swords.”
Mouse Guard is directed by Wes Ball and will be produced by Matt Reeves, with Gary Whitta writing the script. The film currently stars Andy Serkis, and Thomas Brodie-Sangster.
Mouse Guard currently has no release date.
Are you excited to possibly have Elba on board? Let us know in the comments!
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