The voice cast for the English language dub of Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron has been revealed, and there are some big names attached. In a curious twist, several well-known Batman actors feature in key roles, with The Dark Knight’s Christian Bale, The Batman’s Robert Pattinson, and prolific Joker voice actor Mark Hamill all making the credits.
Alongside the big names, You and Are You Afraid of the Dark actor Luca Padovan will step into the lead role of Mahito Maki. Meanwhile, Bale will play Mahito’s father Shoichi Maki and Eternals and The Creator star Gemma Chan will play Mahito’s stepmother Natsuko.
The full English language cast list for The Boy and the Heron so far is as follows:
Mahito Maki – Luca Padovan
Shoichi Maki – Christian Bale
Natsuko – Gemma Chan
The Parakeet King – Dave Bautista
Noble Pelican – Willem Dafoe
Lady Himi – Karen Fukuhara
Granduncle – Mark Hamill
The Gray Heron – Robert Pattinson
Kiriko – Florence Pugh
Mamoudou Athie, Tony Revolori, and Dan Stevens also feature as the Parakeets.
The Boy and the Heron is the first new feature film from Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki in a decade, following 2013’s The Wind Rises. It features an original story, but its Japanese title, How Do You Live, references a 1937 novel that appears in the film. It released in Japan with minimal marketing earlier this year, though it’s taking a more traditional marketing route for its Western run.
RELATED: The Boy and The Heron Gets First Full Trailer, Release Date
The Boy and the Heron is set to debut in American and Canadian theatres on December 8. And while it was previously touted as Miyazaki’s final film, that may no longer be the case.
Personally, I’ll be looking for the film in its original Japanese dub with English subtitles, but to each their own
