RDJ unveils full “Doctor Dolittle“ cast

Robert Downey Jr. unveiled the full cast of his star-studded “The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle” on Tuesday. Rami Malek, Octavia Spencer, Kumail Nanjiani, Craig Robinson, John Cena, Marion Cotillard, Carmen Ejogo, and Frances de la Tour will voice roles in the Universal film.

The project stars Downey, while Selena Gomez, Tom Holland, Emma Thompson, and Ralph Fiennes had been previously announced as voice cast. Jim Broadbent, Antonio Banderas, and Michael Sheen will portray live-action characters.

Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum produce for their Roth/Kirschenbaum Films alongside Susan Downey for Team Downey.

Universal acquired the movie, which will be directed by Stephen Gaghan from a screenplay he wrote from an earlier draft by Tom Shepherd. It's based on the character from the 1920s series of children's books by Hugh Lofting, in which a Victorian-era physician opts to treat animals instead of humans because he's able to speak with them.

Lofting's character was portrayed by Rex Harrison in the 1967 musical “Doctor Dolittle,” which won Oscars for best original song and visual effects. Eddie Murphy starred in the 1998 film “Doctor Dolittle” and its 2001 sequel, which cumulatively grossed more than $470 million at the worldwide box office.

The film hits theatres on April 12, 2019.

Source: Variety