Sean Penn has been cast in the forthcoming Angry Birds movie.
The Oscar-winning actor will provide the voice of a surly bird called Terence, who communicates only in grunts and growls. It will be Penn’s second foray into animation after voicing the father in the dubbed version of Persepolis.
Penn’s minimal performance has been previewed in new clip.
He joins a cast that includes Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Peter Dinklage and Maya Rudolph. This big-screen adaptation of the popular mobile game follows the start of the war between birds and pigs. It is scheduled for release in the UK on 13 May and in the US on 20 May.
Penn appeared most recently in the action thriller The Gunman, which received mostly negative reviews (the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw called it “flabby”) and did poorly at the box office. His next film as a director, the South Africa-set drama The Last Face starring Charlize Theron, is tipped to premiere at this year’s Cannes film festival. He is also set to play US president Andrew Jackson in the forthcoming TV mini-series American Lions.
Penn is also still embroiled in the El Chapo controversy after his interview with the drugs baron for Rolling Stone caused ire. He is reportedly not involved in a planned biopic of the cartel head and has expressed his regret over the impact of his article for Rolling Stone.
