Corey Edwards on Hoodwinked 2 Cast
Hayden Panettierre Replaces Anne Hathaway in Animated Sequel
Hayden Panettierre takes over for Anne Hathaway in The Weinstein Company's Hoodwinked 2: Hood Versus Evil, according to writer Corey Edwards.
Hayden Panettierre, the "super cheerleader" from Lost, will be voicing the character of Little Red Riding Hood in Hoodwinked 2: Hood Versus Evil.
She replaces Anne Hathaway, who voiced the character in the original movie. It's highly unlikely that Hoodwinked 2's budget, which is presumably around the $15 million mark, could afford Hathaway after the success of The Devil Wears Prada.
The Weinstein Company produced the first Hoodwinked for $15 million, and it made $109 million worldwide. It's one of their few bona fide hits, along with TMNT. The Weinsteins are working with Imagi Animation on a sequel to that flick, after they distribute the Hong Kong-based studio's other projects, Gatchaman and Astro Boy, which are both due in 2009. They also have the mad scientist comedy Igor coming to theatres on October 24th.
It also appears that the Weinsteins are bringing Arthur and the Vengeance of Malthazar to theatres, despite the first Arthur flick bombing at the box office.
Glenn Close, Patrick Warburton Return for Hoodwinked 2
"(Panettiere voicing Red Riding Hood) seems very fitting, since Red becomes a bit more of a 'caped crusader' in this film," said Hoodwinked 2 writer, and original movie director, Corey Edwards on his blog.
Edwards, who co-wrote the sequel and voiced the role of Twitchy, also spilled the beans on who else is in Hood Versus Evil's voice cast.
"Many of the original cast have returned," he says. "Glenn Close is still Granny, and Patrick Warburton remains The Wolf (very, very happy about that). Nicky Flippers will once again be performed by David Ogden Stiers. Andy Dick has voiced Boingo again (that's right, Boingo is still around, as unstable as ever... but not the greatest threat this time).
"And yes, yes, yes, for everyone who keeps asking, THE GOAT IS BACK (emphasis his). Japeth the singing goat will appear again, voiced by my good buddy Benjy Gaither."
The strangest bit of casting news is that Martin Short will replace Jim Belushi as the voice of The Woodsman in the new flick. However, that's not the only casting surprise in the new flick.
"I will tell you that Joan Cusack is a new villainous witch," continues Edwards. "Brad Garrett (Ratatouille) is The Giant from the notorious beanstalk, and Wayne Newton plays 'Jimmy Ten Strings,' his singing harp. That's right. Wayne Newton. As a harp. He's totally into it.
"(Former In Living Color comedian) David Alan Grier plays a troll, which should be really funny... I heard he was off the charts with the ad-libs. And finally, all you SNL fans will be psyched to know that Amy Poehler and Bill Hader will be voicing Hansel & Gretel."
What's Hoodwinked 2 About?
According to IMDb, Hoodwinked 2 follows Red Riding Hood "who is training in a distant land with a mysterious, covert group called the Sister Hoods. However, Red and the Wolf get called upon by Nick Flippers, the head of the Happily Ever After Agency, to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Hansel and Grendel."
Hoodwinked 2: Hood Versus Evil is due in theatres sometime this year.
