Warner Bros’ LEGO Batman, the first spinoff of The LEGO Movie and the second film in Warner Animation Group’s LCU (Lego Cinematic Universe), recently found a voice for Batgirl (Rosario Dawson). Now, it found a voice for the ever-reliable butler and companion to a certain Dark Knight.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the new today that Ralph Fiennes signed on for LEGO Batman as the voice of Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne’s butler and Batman’s irreplaceable ally. He joins the film opposite Will Arnett as Batman (reprising his role from The LEGO Movie), Michael Cera as Robin, Zach Galifianakis as The Joker, and Rosario Dawson as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl.
Ever since his first appearance in the comics in 1943, Alfred long served as not only Batman’s confidant, but also Bruce Wayne’s voice of reason and father figure. Various actors across multiple mediums voiced the character, with the most notable and recent portrayal of the character played by Michael Caine in the Dark Knight trilogy. Currently, Sean Pertwee plays the character on FOX’s Gotham, while Jeremy Irons will play the character in next year’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
An award-winning actor (both on film and Broadway), Fiennes is best known to fans of the Harry Potter films as Lord Voldemort. He should also be a familiar face to James Bond fans, as he is the current version of M (as of Skyfall and the upcoming Spectre). This will be his fourth voice role in animation, following a turn as Rameses II in DreamWorks Animation’s The Prince of Egypt, Lord Victor Quartermaine in Aardman’s Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and a yet-to-be revealed role in LAIKA and Focus Features’ Kubo and the Two Strings.
The film is directed by Chris McKay (animation supervisor on The LEGO Movie) from a screenplay by Seth Grahame-Smith and produced by Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Phil Lord, and Chris Miller.
LEGO Batman will hit theaters on February 10, 2017. LEGO Ninjago will follow on September 22, 2017. The LEGO Movie Sequel will bow on May 18, 2018. An untitled LCU film (possibly The Billion Brick Race) is set to launch on May 24, 2019.
What do you think? Is Ralph Fiennes a perfect fit for the role of Alfred?
Edited by: Hannah Wilkes
