William Shatner Lends His Malevolent Voice to New Animated Feature
Steve Barton
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The man who defines the term – the cock of the walk, the bastion of masculinity, the guy who has no qualms screwing a green lady and throwing a dropkick and karate chop to anyone who gets in his way – William Shatner has a new project cooking. Shatner has been cast in the animated horror feature film Malevolent, and we have all the details right here.
From the Press Release:
Quick — name an American-made animated horror movie. Incredibly, they don’t really exist. Until now. Coverage Ink Films, producers of the award-winning short Liberator, has signed legendary, Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actor William Shatner (“Star Trek,” “Boston Legal”) to its upcoming animated horror feature film MALEVOLENT. Shatner plays The Overseer, the film’s narrator and voice of unreason. Shatner joins a cast of genre luminaries, including Emmy-nominated star Morena Baccarin (“Gotham,” Deadpool, “Firefly”), Daytime Emmy winner Ray Wise (“Twin Peaks,” Good Night and Good Luck), Dani Lennon (Bite Me), and Bill Moseley (The Devil’s Rejects).
The 2D hand-drawn, time-ripping horror film is described as “Saw meets Groundhog Day” and is being directed by Jason Axinn (Starpocalypse).
Malevolent is about a young woman named Miriam (Lennon), who works for a non-profit which promotes global peace initiatives. This is in reaction to her estranged father — sociopath US war profiteer and billionaire Cyrus DeKalb (Wise). When he learns he is dying, Cyrus calls Miriam and her three siblings together, ostensibly to discuss his will. However, what he actually has planned is to pronounce judgment on them all. They are, in his view, traitors; and he has elaborate death traps planned for each of them.
The wrinkle is: A race of intergalactic gamblers, who wager on human conflicts as bloody sport, have chosen Miriam as their protagonist for this match. Thus, the entire situation is being manipulated by the Gamemaster (Baccarin), who has the power to call fouls, reverse time, and reconfigure events as they play out. And so the playing field is constantly changing under Miriam’s feet — sometimes to her benefit, but usually not.
Says Axinn, “Understandably, the chance to work with a legend is a dream come true. This is a groundbreaking project on so many levels. I’m really excited that Mr. Shatner is coming along for the ride.”
“We’re entering uncharted territory by producing a unique animated horror film. Who better to boldly go with us than William Shatner?” adds co-writer/exec producer Tanya Klein.
“I revere Mr. Shatner so this is a major fanboy moment for me,” says cowriter/exec producer Jim Cirile. “His gravitas and sense of humor are perfect for the role of The Overseer. I’m sure a ton of people like me will be eagerly anticipating this gritty, badass, balls-to-the wall horror movie, especially with a cast like this. Mr. Shatner is the insane icing on that cake.”
A division of screenplay analysis/development service CoverageInk.com, Coverage Ink Films cut its teeth on shorts Showdown of the Godz, starring George Takei, and the gritty, award-winning superhero drama Liberator, starring Lou Ferrigno, Peta Wilson, Michael Dorn, and Ed Asner. Malevolent, their first feature, has an expected completion date of mid-2016.
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