Will someone please find out who the agent of Chris Pratt is because they’re clearly the most powerful person in Hollywood.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Pratt will voice beloved cartoon cat Garfield in a new animated film. He has a tough act to follow though, with Bill Murray previously voicing Garfield in two cinema outings: 2004’s Garfield: The Movie and and its sequel, 2006’s Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, were both released to tepid reviews.
Three subsequent Garfield films went straight to video (2007’s Garfield Gets Real, 2008’s Garfield’s Fun Fest, and 2009’s Garfield’s Pet Force) which makes it seem like the appetite for another Garfield flick isn’t – unlike the cat’s love of lasagne – all that strong.
Seriously, how did we get here from Pratt playing the dim-witted Andy in Parks & Recreation? His career trajectory is almost a work of art: the endearing Lego movies; becoming Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy; those very expensive Jurassic Park films; that really weird sci-fi romance opposite Jennifer Lawrence.
And much to the dismay of the Italian-American community, Pratt was also just revealed to be the voice of Mario in the forthcoming Mario movie. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Charlie Day as Luigi and Jack Black as Bowser might be inspired casting but Pratt’s doesn’t make as much sense. Danny DeVito – now there’s your Mario.
Details about the new Garfield film are limited at the moment, although THR does say that OG Garfield creator Jim Davis is on board as an executive producer, which is a promising sign.
What other plum voice acting roles await Pratt? Portraying Arthur the aardvark in a big screen adaptation of the iconic children’s series? Replacing H. Jon Benjamin as the voice of Archer? Honestly, nothing would surprise us at this stage.
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Check out a scene from Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties:
