Big day for Sony announcing names of people voicing strange things in their upcoming animated offerings. In addition to Julia Roberts tackling a Smurf, we now have news that Patrick Stewart will be playing 'poop' in The Emoji Movie.
The film, in case it has somehow escaped your attention (it's possible you have been living in a concrete shelter for just that purpose), follows Gene (TJ Miller) an emoji created with the code for any expression who is looking to become "normal" and find his place in Textopolis. He recruits the likes of Hi-5 (James Corden) and Jailbreak (Ilana Glazer) to find a solution, while also stumbling upon a plot that threatens the phone – the friends' whole world.
Stewart will be what we can only assume is a cultured poo emoji, joining the cast alongside Jennifer Coolidge, Steven Wright, Maya Rudolph and Jake T. Austin. The movie hits UK screens on 11 August.
In related Sony news, The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun who was (spoiler alert) recently released from his zombie-dodging duties, is letting his vocal chords do the work as Bo the donkey, another character itching to break free of the yoke of his ordinary life in The Star. Joining up with a horse (Kelly Clarkson), a sheep (Aidy Bryant), a dove (Keegan-Michael Key) and others, he ends up following a star and becoming part of the first Christmas. That one is due on 15 December, apparently planned as counter programming to... Star Wars: Episode VIII? Good luck.
And finally, there is official confirmation that Hamilton man Lin-Manuel Miranda is officially working on an animated musical called Vivo for the studio, with Kirk De Micco directing and In The Heights' Alegría Hudes on script duty. That one won't arrive until December 2020, though, so be prepared to wait for it.