Samuel L. Jackson Will Voice Garfield’s Dad in New Movie

Samuel L. Jackson of all people is set to play Vic, a new character for the Garfield franchise. Jackson is known for more adult roles with loads of cursing and stylish action sequences, but he’s definitely no stranger to family films. He’s previously voiced characters in The Incredibles and Turbo. A lot of people from the generation the Garfield film is intended for might recognize him as Nick Fury, his Marvel character.

According to Deadline, Jackson “will play a brand-new character, Garfield’s father Vic.” That’s not the only risk they’re taking with this film though. Back in 2004, Bill Murray portrayed Garfield in two films that really didn’t quite hit the mark. According to legend, Murray claimed that he thought the movie was written by Joel Coen of the Coen brothers, only to realize the script was penned by an entirely different Joel Cohen with an ‘h.’

Although we haven’t heard a ton about the film yet, it’s in pre-production. The crew behind the movie is referring to it as the “first animated Garfield movie.” The Bill Murray Garfields were made with a mix of live-action actors and CGI animals.

Chris Pratt is set to provide the voice of Garfield, which is no doubt going to be a bit of a divisive move, especially after the backlash Super Mario Bros. movie got after announcing Pratt in the lead role. Luckily though, Jim Davis, the creator of Garfield himself, is involved in the film as an executive producer.

As far as more technical roles on the film go, we know that Mark Dindal is set to direct. He’s worked on movies such as Chicken Little and The Emperor’s New Groove. Joining him in bringing the film to life is screenwriter David Reynolds. Reynolds has worked on a ton of Disney films from the early 2000s, like Finding Nemo, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and even some supplementary work for Toy Story 2 and Tarzan. As of now, there’s no official release date for the new Garfield.