Fresh off assisting Daniel Craig on his globe-trotting escapades for Spectre, Ralph Fiennes will switch gears to serve as the Caped Crusader’s trusty ally Alfred Pennyworth in Chris McKay’s LEGO Batman movie.
Fiennes is now primed to star opposite Will Arnett for the animated romp, rounding out an impressive cast list that also boasts Daredevil and Luke Cage actress Rosario Dawson as Batgirl and Michael Cera as Robin, while Birdman star Zach Galifianakis remains in negotiations to assume the role of the Clown Prince of Crime himself, the Joker.
Having acted as a pillar of DC’s crime-ridden universe since his inception back in 1943, the role of Alfred will surely be an instrumental one, and we can’t help but get excited to hear news of an actor of Fiennes calibre stepping into the part.
Reprising his role as the World’s Greatest Detective following the rip-roaring success of last year’s The LEGO Movie, Arnett will naturally feature front and center for the LEGO Batman movie, with Warner Bros. also laying out plans for a Ninjago offshoot shortly after its 2017 release before a bona fide sequel to The LEGO Movie comes by way of Chris Miller and Phil Lord.
In terms of 2017’s LEGO Batman feature film, however, all we know for now is that novelist-cum-screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith is penning the script, with Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller all serving as executive producers. After pulling close to half a billion dollars at the box office, it’s little wonder why Warner has mapped out plans for a new-fangled universe, and McKay’s feature is just another brick in the wall.
LEGO Batman has been slated for a release on February 10, 2017.
