Studio Ghibli and GKIDS have revealed the English cast for The Boy and the Heron before the movie premieres in North American theaters on December 8. The cast features several stacked actors/actresses, including Christian Bale, Mark Hamill, Florence Pugh, and Dave Bautista.
The Boy and the Heron is Hayao Miyazaki’s first film in roughly 10 years, and the iconic composer Joe Hisaishi returned to score the film’s soundtrack for his long-time friend. This is one of Miyazaki’s highest-grossing films ever in Japan with nearly 8 billion yen. This holiday season, fans in the West will finally be able to watch the film for the first time.
The Boy and the Heron English Cast
According to Variety, the English cast of The Boy and the Heron includes:
- Christian Bale (Batman Begins, The Prestige, Ford v Ferrari) as Shoichi Maki
- Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, Blade Runner 2049, Glass Onion) as The Parakeet King
- Gemma Chan (Eternals, Crazy Rich Asians) as Natsuko
- Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse, Spider-Man, Aquaman, John Wick) as Noble Pelican
- Karen Fukuhara (The Boys, Suicide Squad, Bullet Train) as Lady Himi
- Mark Hamill (The Fall of the House of Usher, Star Wars, Batman: The Animated Series) as Granduncle
- Robert Pattinson (The Batman, The Lighthouse, Twilight) as The Gray Heron
- Florence Pugh (Oppenheimer, Midsommar, Black Widow) as Kiriko
Here’s an overview of the upcoming film, courtesy of GKIDS Films:
A young boy named Mahito
yearning for his mother
ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead.
There, death comes to an end,
and life finds a new beginning.
A semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.
Lastly, The Boy and the Heron will come to western theaters in English on December 8. More details will be available on the movie in the coming weeks.
