The beloved video game characters Ratchet & Clank are headed to a theater near you and as we gear up for the much-anticipated computer animated full-length film, there’s lots of goodies to share to keep us excited.
If you don’t know about the Ratchet & Clank franchise, read our Sneak Peek and get in the know. Basically, like so many of today’s hero films, it is an origin story, tracing the beginnings of the famous comedy duo and their adventures. Promising to keep the satire and biting humor of the long-running game series, the film is written by former Insomniac Games Senior Writer T.J. Fixman, who was a writer for many of the games. What’s more, fans of the games will be happy to know that nearly all the voice cast is on board, reprising their roles, but there are some surprises as well.
First up, Paul Giamatti is voicing Chairman Drek, the leader of the Blarg, the plot’s central villain. He’s replacing Kevin Michael Richardson, who made the character iconic in the game series, but we’re still confident Giamatti will give it proper due. He has a great over-the-top ability that will be perfect for the role. Victor Von Ion, Drek’s evil first henchman, is voiced by none other than Sylvester Stallone, and should bring some recognizable gruff to the part, though Stallone is not known for playing bad guys. On the good guys side, John Goodman is Grimroth, Ratchet’s friend and mentor while Rosario Dawson voices Elaris, a member of the Galactic Rangers team, the movie’s hero squad. Of course, Ratchet is James Arnold Taylor, the long-time and irreplaceable voice of the character along with David Kaye as his sidekick Clank.
The released clips give a good look at the tone and visual style, which is directly in line with the games, further serving as a teaser for the latest entry in the game series, to be released in conjunction with the film. That game, titled simply Ratchet & Clank, is a ‘re-imaging’ of the first in the series, digging deeper into the origin story and including footage from the film. The most recently released clip actually reveals how the two characters meet (somewhat) and is surprising to see considering the premise. Seems like that would have been something to keep a secret, but there’s sure to be plenty of other reveals. If you don’t want to know how they meet, skip this trailer.
Ratchet & Clank the film opens April 29, 2016. The game, a week earlier.