Kenneth Branagh to Voice Charles Dickens in Animated Feature THE KING OF KINGS

The Shakespeare performer has taken on another literary legend!

According to The Hollywood Report, actor and director Kenneth Branagh will be voicing the famed writer Charles Dickens in an upcoming faith-based feature called The KING of Kings.

Alongside Branagh, Uma Thurman will voice Dickens' wife Catherine and Roman Griffin Davis, known for playing the title role in Jojo Rabbit, will voice their son Walter.

In a statement, producer Anfernee Kim said that “It is through the Dickens family that our audience experiences the life of Jesus Christ, and Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman and Roman Griffin Davis bring all the emotion, awe, heart and gravitas to these essential characters. These three actors are at the core of our story, and anchor a truly impressive cast – many of whom we look forward to sharing in the near future.”

The film is inspired by a story that Dickens wrote for his children called The Life of Our Lord. The writing was kept private during the authors lifetime, but was published posthumously following the death of his children. The writing was adapted into a play, To Begin With, by Dickens' great-great-grandson Gerald Charles Dickens.

The film is directed by visual effects artist Seong-ho “Jay” Jang. He co-wrote the script with Rob Edwards, who wrote Disney's Treasure Planet and The Princess and the Frog.

Branagh has worked in a variety of capacities on stage and screen, including as an actor, writer, and director. His most recent film was 2023's A Haunting in Venice, based on an Agatha Christie short story. This fall, he will be playing the role of KING Lear at The Shed, a role he previously played on the West End.