All hail our dark lord Cthulhu. Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn.
Late in 2017, children will be initiated into the lore of the Great Old Ones with the animated feature Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom. And what better way to ease a generation or two into H.P. Lovecraft’s world than with the dulcet voice talents of Mark Hamill?
According to Deadline, the Star Wars icon has signed on to voice Dr. Henry Armitage, a character who first appeared in Lovecraft’s short story The Dunwich Horror published in 1929. Armitage was the head librarian at Miskatonic University and was instrumental in saving the town from the offspring of the Outer God Yog-Sothoth. Armitage is unique in that he and his fellows are some of the few Lovecraftian protagonists to succeed over the ancient evil gods, which may or may not give insight into Hamill’s version of the character.
Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom is being written, directed and produced by Sean Patrick O’Reilly and is adapted from the best-selling graphic novel of the same name by Bruce Brown and Dwight L. MacPherson. The film — a sequel to the 2016 Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom — will continue to mix the history of H.P. Lovecraft’s life with the dark elements of his iconic fantasy universe. Actors Christopher Plume and Doug Bradley will reprise their roles as Dr. Herbert West and Nyarlathotep, respectively. Hamill will also be joined by Jeffrey Combs, who will play King Abdul, otherwise known as the original author The Necronomicon.
The animated film is a joint venture between Shout! Factory and Arcana Studios.