Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment have signed Will Ferrell (Old School, the upcoming Elf) to provide the voice of The Man in the Yellow Hat for the upcoming animated feature film production of the children’s classic, Curious George, it was announced by Mary Parent and Scott Stuber, presidents of production for Universal Pictures, and Academy Award®-winning producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.
Ms. Parent and Mr. Stuber said, “Having Will Ferrell on-board gives us a superstar voice that is uniquely appealing to both kids and adults.”
Mr. Grazer and Mr. Howard said, “When we decided to bring Curious George to the screen, we envisioned the role of The Man in the Yellow Hat as a wonderful showcase for a comedic actor, and we’re thrilled that it is Will Ferrell who will be giving voice to this classic character.”
Currently in pre-production for release on November 4, 2005, Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment bring Curious George, the original “monkey see, monkey do” chimp, to the screen in an all-new animated adventure based upon the beloved tales that have been enchanting readers for more than 60 years. George, the inquisitive little primate transplanted from the jungle to the big city by The Man in the Yellow Hat, sets off in a brand new tale for the big screen, where his spunky and fun-loving nature endear him to new friends he meets along the way and lands him in a series of adventures.
Jun Falkenstein (“The Tigger Movie”) will direct from a screenplay by Michael McCullers (Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Austin Powers in Goldmember and the upcoming Thunderbirds) and Daniel Gerson & Rob Baird (Monsters Inc.) and Joe Stillman (Shrek, upcoming Shrek 2).
Ferrell will be joined by other well-known stars currently in discussions to voice additional characters in the film.
Ferrell starred for seven seasons on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. His work on SNL garnered him two Emmy Award nominations in 2001 for Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program and for Outstanding Writing for A Variety, Music or Comedy Program. Earlier this year, he starred opposite Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson in the feature film comedy hit Old School, directed by Will Ferrell.
This holiday season, Ferrell will star in the big-screen comedy Elf, in which he plays a man who is raised from infancy as an elf after accidentally falling into Santa’s gift sack during Christmas. Set for an early 2004 release is the comedy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, which Ferrell co-wrote with SNL writer Adam McKay, in which he portrays Ron Burgundy, a 1970s anchorman with an inflated ego, who becomes threatened by the arrival of an ambitious female newscaster who, unlike Burgundy, has mastered journalism.
Ferrell is currently in production on the next as-yet-untitled Woody Allen film, which he will immediately follow with Winter’s Passing opposite Ed Harris, Zooey Deschanel and Amelia Warner.
Ferrell has appeared in the films Zoolander, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, The Ladies’ Man, Superstar, A Night at the Roxbury and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
Originally published in 1941, Curious George has never been out of print since. Authors H. A. Rey and his wife Margret, creative partners who fled Europe during the Nazi occupation and settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts, eventually wrote seven Curious George tales; published in 14 languages, those seven volumes have sold a combined total of 27 million copies worldwide, making the little monkey who left the jungle with The Man in the Yellow Hat one of the best-selling and most enduring characters in children’s literature.
