Samuel L. Jackson will star alongside Chris Pratt in the upcoming live-action/animated Garfield film from Alcon Entertainment.
Mark Dindal is directing and David Reynolds is penning the script which will be based on Jim Davis’ iconic cartoon strip of the same name. Reynolds and Dindal previously worked together on The Emperor’s New Groove.
The classic strip centers on the cynical, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving cat, lazy, orange cat named Garfield, and his daily interactions with his owner, Jon Arbuckle, along with his fellow pet, Odie.
Jackson will portray will voice a brand-new character, Garfield’s father Vic while Pratt signed on to voice Garfield.
DNEG Animation is animating and producing the film with Alcon Entertainment. John Cohen and Steven P. Wegner are producing alongside Alcon co-founders and co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove, as well as DNEG CEO Namit Malhotra and President Tom Jacomb, with Davis, Amuse’s Bridget McMeel and Craig Sost exec producing. Sony Pictures will distribute the film globally in all major territories apart from China.
The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 22, 2023.
This is not the first time Garfield was adapted for the screen. The live-action/computed animated film titled Garfield: The Movie was released in theaters on June 11, 2004, as a sequel, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, was released on June 16, 2006. Both starred Bill Murray voicing the character as Garfield and despite receiving negative reviews from critics, the films were both commercial successes.