Freddie Highmore is Astro Boy
The Spiderwick Chronicles Star Voices Osamu Tezuka's Classic Robot
Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) will voice the title role in Imagi's CGI adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy. Movie comes to theatres in 2009.
Freddie Highmore, the young actor who shot to fame after his breakout role in Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, has decided to voice the title character in Imagi Animation/The Weinstein Company's CGI animated movie Astro Boy. The Hong Kong-based animation studio made the announcement this evening.
Freddie Highmore: Talented Young Actor
“I am very thrilled that Freddie has accepted this role," said producer Maryann Garger in Imagi's press release. "He is one of the most talented and acclaimed young actors today, and absolutely ideal to portray the iconic Astro Boy.”
Timothy Harris is writing the script for the film.
“It's terrific that Freddie has agreed to play Astro," chimed in current director David Bowers. "He's a remarkably skilled young actor, whose freshness and vitality make him perfect for the role. Astro Boy is a beloved superhero and has captured hearts around the globe for more than 50 years. I can't wait to see where Freddie takes him.”
Getting the young actor was a major coup for both Imagi and The Weinstein Company. Highmore's career has skyrocketed since he first got noticed in the 2004 live-action flick Finding Neverland. That movie paired him with Johnny Depp, who later co-starred with Highmore in his breakout role: playing Charlie Bucket in Tim Burton's adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The young actor has maintained an insane schedule since then, starring in Arthur and the Invisibles, August Rush, The Golden Compass, and The Spiderwick Chronicles, for which he has received a lot of praise for his work. He also has a starring role in the live-action film Eddie Dickens and the Awful End, which is currently in pre-production.
Reports say that the sixteen-year-old Highmore doesn't wish to pursue acting when he becomes an adult, which means he has about two years left on the clock.
What's Astro Boy About?
Here's the official synopsis for Astro Boy, courtesy of Imagi Animation: "Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist to replace the son he has lost.
"Unable to fulfill the grieving father's expectations, our hero embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the man who had rejected him."
Astro Boy comes to theatres sometime in late 2009.
Fun Fact: Astro Boy is better known in Asia as Tetsuwan Atomu or "Mighty Atom."
