The Animated Film Garfield Stars Samuel L Jackson As A New Character

Samuel L. Jackson has joined the cast of Sony Pictures' animated Garfield film, which stars Chris Pratt as the titular lasagna lover's father

Garfield is one of the most well-known comic strips in history, and it currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most widely syndicated comic strip in the world. Because of this success, the character has been adapted into a variety of different genres, including many TV series, video games, and two live-action films starring Bill Murray as Garfield. Following the films' terrible response, Garfield's big screen days appeared to be gone until Viacom Entertainment purchased the rights to the character and a new Garfield animated picture was put into development in 2016, and the project is again getting traction.

Six months after the project's initial announcement, The Wrap has learned that Samuel L. Jackson has joined the cast of the forthcoming animated Garfield picture. The film will feature Chris Pratt in the title role, with Jackson joining the cast as a new character, Vic, Garfield's hitherto unknown father. At the time of writing, no release date for the film has been determined.

Jackson has lent his voice to everything from Pixar's Incredibles films to the anime adaptation of Afro Samurai, which he also produced, Adult Swim's The Boondocks, and a variety of documentaries. The Honorary Oscar winner has also branched out into video games and audiobooks, portraying Officer Frank Tenpenny in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and the amusing children's book Go the F—k to Sleep. In addition to his involvement in the animated Garfield feature, Jackson is preparing for his return to the animation genre with Paramount's Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, in which he co-stars with Michael Cera.

Given that Jackson has joined Chris Pratt's animated Garfield picture as the character's father, it begs the question of whether the film is retelling the eponymous cat's origin. Garfield's many family members were introduced or encountered in the comics and original animated series, including his mother, brother Raoul, and cousin Sly, while his father was never revealed or referenced, with Jon Arbuckle functioning as both his human owner and father figure. Only time will tell whether further members of Garfield's family will be introduced in the animated Garfield picture as work progresses.