Kristen Bell in Astro Boy

Posted by Dominic von Riedemann Aug 26, 2008

(Did I mention I use this blog for news stories that don't have enough info to rate a full article?)

Kristen Bell is going to blast off with Astro Boy.

According to Variety, the actor (Veronica Mars, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) is voicing the female lead in Summit Entertainment and Imagi Animation Studio's upcoming CGI adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's classic manga.

She joins fellow cast members Nicolas Cage (National Treasure: Book of Secrets), Donald Sutherland (Fools' Gold), Nathan Lane (The Producers), Bill Nighy (Shawn of the Dead), Eugene Levy (Best in Show) and Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) in the flick. Highmore will voice the title character.

David Bowers (Flushed Away) will direct from a scipt written by Timothy Harris (Kindergarten Cop).

Although there's not much known about Bell's involvement with the flick, she could be voicing the role of Astro Girl, Astro's younger sister, or an as-yet unknown "love interest" for the titular robot. Since Astro is neither a real boy, nor Data from Star Trek: TNG, he can't exactly get busy, if you know what I'm sayin'.

Astro Boy flies into theatres sometime in late 2009.

Fun Fact: Collider.com claims that Scarlett Johanson is also lending her voice to the flick, but that statement hasn't been backed up anywhere else (like, for instance, Imagi themselves).