It’s hard to believe that the first Angry Birds game hit the app store almost five years ago (December 10, 2009 to be precise), and yet we’ve barely heard a whisper about a big screen adaptation. Perhaps that’s why Sony Pictures Animation is going all out when it comes to casting the voices of everyone’s favorite pig-slaughtering feathered friends, as Variety reported this morning that the Angry Birds movie finally has the voices for its main characters.
Jason Sudeikis is leading the way as Red, while Maya Rudolph will play Matilda, Peter Dinklage will soar as the “Mighty Eagle,” Danny McBride will voice Bomb, and Bill Hader will play Pig, the villainous leader of the egg-stealing pigs. And because this is Hollywood, no comedy is complete without everyone’s favorite funnyman (citation needed several times) Josh Gad, who will provide the voice of Chuck, the yellow bird that makes you have to tap the screen at just the right time to make him blast off. (But bro, I’m trying to drink a Mountain Dew and eat Cheez-Its while I’m playing this game. Nobody has a third hand for that kind of interactive nonsense.)
After Sony won the rights to the Angry Bird film adaptation last year, the studio assigned it a July 1, 2016 release date, which is very interesting considering recent news that people are growing tired of Angry Birds and its endless supply of spin-offs. While the Angry Birds titles have been downloaded more than 2 billion times since 2009, the amount of people playing Angry Birds has decreased significantly. According to The Guardian, more than 63 million people have stopped playing in the last year or so, as Rovio’s reported 263 million users in 2013 is down to slightly more than 200 million.
Of course, the title is still raking in more than $196 million worldwide in merchandise and in-app purchases, so a movie is probably just the shot in the arm that Angry Birds needs to attract more users who will waste their money on pointless power-ups (like my jerk friends who constantly cheat at Angry Birds Friends).
In the meantime, let’s check in with Josh Gad…
Punch. Punch. Punch.
Vince’s Note: I’ve read the best way to set off a leather jacket is with a leather fedora with a leather band. On the plus side, more than half that outfit is fireproof.