Luke Wilson (CAA, Hirsch Wallerstein) is in talks and Kevin Connolly (CAA, Principato Young, Ziffren Brittenham) has signed to join the cast of "Elvis & Nixon," the indie drama centering on the 1970 meeting of Elvis Presley (Eric Bana) and Richard Nixon (Danny Huston).
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesAltitude Film Distribution has acquired the big-budget animated family film Rock Dog, featuring the voices of Luke Wilson, Eddie Izzard and J.K. Simmons, for the U.K.
The movie, the first animated feature to get a theatrical release from Altitude, had its European premiere at the recent BFI London Film Festival.
Based on a graphic novel by Chinese rock star Zheng Jun, the star of the film is Bodi (voiced by Wilson), a Tibetan Mastiff expected to become the next village guard to a group of fun-loving, countryside sheep, but fears he doesn’t have the passion to assume the role from his dad, Khampa (Simmons). Everything changes when Bodi hears a song by rock legend Angus Scattergood (Izzard). He leaves home to chase his destiny in the big city, attracting the attention of Khampa’s nemesis, Linnux (Lewis Black), leader of a hungry wolf pack. In the end, it is up to Bodi to save his family and friends without giving up his newfound dream.
Matt Dillon, Sam Elliott, Kenan Thompson and Jorge Garcia are also part of the voice cast.
Rock Dog, directed by Ash Brannon (Surf’s Up, Toy Story 2), was produced by Amber Wang, Joyce Lou, David B. Miller, Rob Feng and Zheng Jun.
“Rock Dog is a super family movie with a very strong cast,” said Will Clarke, Altitude Film Entertainment’s co-founder and CEO, in a statement. “Following the great response to the film at the BFI London Film Festival, we’re looking forward to introducing this to a wider U.K. audience.”
Rock Dog joins the Altitude U.K. release slate, which also includes Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson and winner of the Grolsch People’s Choice Documentary Award in Toronto; Lady MacBeth, starring Florence Pugh; Sundance and Toronto festival favorite The Eagle Huntress, narrated by Daisy Ridley; and Daphne, starring Emily Beecham and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor.
Altitude said its U.K. release of Louis Theroux documentary My Scientology Movie is on track this week to join the shortlist of theatrical documentaries to gross more than £1 million ($1.2 million) in Britain.
