The Dreamworks animated comedy Kung Fu Panda has just grabbed Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan and Ian McShane. According to Coming Soon Lucy Liu is also in talks to star.
In the film, Black stars as Po the Panda, the laziest of all the animals in the Valley of Peace. With powerful enemies at the gates, all hope is pinned on a martial arts hero to rise to save the day. When Po unwittingly shows up in the midst of the martial arts competition, the masters are shocked to see that this unmotivated panda bears the mark of the Chosen One.
Hoffman will voice the role of Shifu, the by-the-book, tough-as-nails kung fu master whose task it is to transform Po into a fighter.
Chan will lend his voice to Master Monkey, a strong, agile and dedicated kung fu warrior, who serves as a daily reminder to Po of everything he is not.
Liu will be the voice of Master Viper, another of Po’s teachers, who can be coy and feminine, but is capable of unleashing the warrior within.
McShane (Deadwood) will voice the villainous Tai Lung, a powerful snow leopard, intent on destroying the Valley of Peace.
I’m sure there’s a live action martial arts movie out there that covers this plot off already, but what’s going to make this really cool is the Dreamworks animation treatment and the idea of Panda’s. That and a great merchandising line! Is there a concern here that there are only two Asian actors voicing the characters? I would have thought asking some leading Asian actors for the roles would have been a good move. Chan, Li, Leung, etc, etc…
Just as long as they don’t get the non-Asian actors to mimic a Chinese accent.