Matt Smith, who stars as a young Prince Philip in Netflix’s “The Crown” and will feature in the “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon,” will voice “Superworm,” the character of the children’s book of the same name that is being adapted into an animated feature. In the United Kingdom, it was broadcasted on Christmas Day.
Olivia Colman, who portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix series “The Crown” from 2019 to 2020, narrated the 30-minute animated video. Olivia Colman is currently in the spotlight for her potentially Oscar-winning lead role in Maggie Gylenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter.”
According to ‘Variety,’ Colman, like many other parents in the UK, is a huge fan. Colman remarked of her “Superworm” assignment, “I love all these books, Julia Donaldson novels.” “Over the years, I’ve read (them) to my children. And when they’re on TV, I enjoy watching them. So I was ecstatic when they approached me.”
“Superworm,” a children’s book written by Donaldson and drawn by Axel Scheffler was published in 2016, tells a story of a wriggly caped crusader whom was abducted and bewitched by a bling-loving reptile. According to ‘Variety,’ Donaldson and Scheffler are Britain’s Dr. Seuss.
The writer-illustrator team has charmed millions of children with their tales of robber rats, wandering whales, and fanciful fish since the publication of “The Gruffalo” in 1999.
The Gruffalo, a story about a little mouse who ventures into a deep, dark wood, must have been made into a 30-minute animated special in 2009 by the UK production company Magic Light Pictures, with James Corden, the British host of “The Late Show with James Corden” on the American TV network CBS, and Helena Bonham Carter voicing the characters. It was the first of nine animated adaptations of Donaldson and Scheffler’s works released.
