U2’s Bono, Pharrell Williams, Halsey Join Illumination/Universal’s Animated Film ‘Sing 2’

U2 lead singer Bono, Pharrell Williams and singer Halsey are joining the chorus of Sing 2, as they will voice lead roles in the Illumination/Universal sequel to the 2016 hit. Bobby Cannavale, Black Panther’s Letitia Wright, Eric Andre and Chelsea Peretti have also signed to star, joining reprising stars Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johannsson, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly and Nick Kroll. Pic will be ready for theatrical holiday release a year from now.

While Bono and U2’s music has provided a backdrop to films from Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom to Gangs of New York, this will be his first time voicing a character and singing in an animated film. It reunited Williams with Illumination; his tune “Happy” was a soundtrack tune that helped draw blockbuster grosses for Despicable Me 2.

“Sing 2 transcends the animation genre, immersing audiences in a fully realized world populated by complex characters, each with bold aspirations and relatable challenges,” said Illumination founder/CEO Chris Meledandri. “We are thrilled that the Sing franchise attracts such exceptional talent, and we are delighted to announce this extraordinary cast. The film is a musical celebration of the unrelenting pursuit of one’s dreams, no matter how large the challenges that stand in your way. At its core this movie speaks to the power of optimism and belief.”

In Sing 2, Buster Moon (McConaughey) and his cast of underdogs push their talents beyond their local theater, hoping for a shot to perform at the most prestigious venue in the entertainment capital of the world: The Crystal Tower Theater. To do that, though, they’ll first have to impress the powerful and egotistical entertainment mogul—and likely gangster—wolf Jimmy Crystal (Cannavale) and prove that they are worthy of his stage. Crystal will let them perform, on condition Buster convince the world’s most reclusive rock legend, lion Clay Calloway (Bono) out of self-imposed seclusion after the death of his wife and persuade him to perform in the show. Williams plays Alfonso, an elephant ice-cream-truck owner who becomes the first crush of shy elephant Meena (Kelly). Halsey voices Jimmy Crystal’s teenage daughter, Porsche; Wright plays a streetwise feline dancer who helps earnest gorilla Johnny (Egerton) regain his confidence while learning his choreography; Andre plays a self-important yak; and Peretti voices Jimmy Crystal’s haughty canine assistant and talent scout. Witherspoon returns as harried mother pig, Rosita; Scarlett Johansson reprises as rocker porcupine Ash and Kroll returns as the pig artiste, Gunter.

Pic is written and directed once again by Garth Jennings and Meledandri and by Janet Healy are the producers.

Bono is represented by Maverick; Williams is WME, First Access Entertainment, and King, Holmes; Halsey is WME; Andre is UTA, Rise Management, and Ziffren Brittenham; Cannavale is WME and Schreck, Rose; Wright is WME and Identity Agency Group; Peretti is WME and Hansen, Jacobson.

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