The Hollywood Reporter recently ran a story reporting that Whoopi Goldberg will co-star with Jane Fonda to voice the role of The Captain in the Skydance Animation feature Luck, produced by John Lasseter, set to be released on Apple+ TV in February 2022.
Advanced press from Skydance Animation reveals that the plotline of Luck tells the story of a girl leading a perfect life whose world falls apart when her kingdom is split in two. She ventures into the alternative reality of a world of good and bad luck personified to bring her world back to normalcy and restore good fortune for all. She joins forces with magical beings and finds a primal force more powerful than luck itself. The computer-animated comedy will be written by Kiel Murray of Cars and directed by Peggy Holmes of Secret of the Wings.
Whoopi Goldberg is the second talent attachment to a Skydance Animation project since the conception of the film. Goldberg joins the project after an overhaul of the story by producer John Lasseter with director Peggy Holmes and writer Kiel Murray. Skydance Animation had previously secured the participation of Jane Fonda, who has a long history of collaboration with the principal figures in the production company. Fonda replaced Emma Thompson, who withdrew from the project in a dispute over production leadership.
Luck is the first feature to be released by Skydance Animation, now headed by former Pixar chief John Lasseter and Skydance President for Animation Holly Edwards. Producer David Ellison founded the division in 2017 intending to produce both TV series and feature films.
Paramount is financing the movie alone with another Skydance feature, the animated musical Spellbound, which will be released in November 2022.
Says Animation President Holly Edwards, “Luck and Spellbound create rich worlds and compelling characters that we know will resonate with audiences everywhere. It’s incredibly exciting to see our team of legendary creatives working around the clock and across the globe to bring these pictures to life.”
Paramount president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson added: “These films not only continue our long-standing relationship with Skydance but, along with Paramount Animation’s upcoming films, mean we will be releasing event-level animated films for years to come.”
Luck marks a comeback for producer John Lasseter.
John Lasseter made a reputation for himself as an “industry visionary” during his years as a chief creative officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar, where he had an unprecedented run in family entertainment. On the creative or executive teams for WALL-E, Ratatouille, Toy Story 3, Up, Cars 3, and several dozen other features, Lasseter earned praise for revitalizing a doldrums-suffering animation business and expanding the creative potential of the genre.
Luck was originally set to hit theaters in 2021, but production of the film had to be done remotely in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic with the result that the movie’s release has been delayed to February 21, 2022.
