Hugh Jackman Animated Feature ‘Missing Link’ Acquired by Lionsgate U.K.

By Stewart Clarke

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Lionsgate has taken U.K. rights to animated movie “Missing Link” from Stuart Ford’s recently minted AGC Studios , for release next year. The film hails from , the animation studio behind “Coraline.” AGC’s sales arm first presented it to buyers at Cannes, and Lionsgate screened excerpts at its CineEurope presentation in Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday.

The film follows Sir Lionel Frost, voiced by Hugh Jackman, who considers himself the world’s foremost investigator of myths and monsters. Seeking acceptance from the adventuring elite, he heads for America’s Pacific Northwest to prove the existence of a legendary creature that is the between primitive and modern humans. Zach Galifianakis is the beast in question, Mr. Link.

Link, Frost, and fellow explorer Adelina Fortnight, voiced by Zoe Saldana, then embark on a mission to find Link’s distant relatives. Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry, Timothy Olyphant, Matt Lucas, David Walliams, Amrita Acharia, and Ching Valdes-Aran are also part of the all-star voice cast.

Oscar nominee Chris Butler (“ParaNorman”) wrote and is directing the film. LAIKA’s head of production and Oscar nominee Arianne Sutner (“Kubo and the Two Strings”) is producing with Travis Knight, who earned an Academy Award nomination and BAFTA win for his directorial debut on “Kubo.”

“LAIKA has a track record of being [an] industry leader in animation, and ‘Missing Link’ is shaping up to add to their pedigree,” said Lionsgate U.K. CEO Zygi Kamasa and Nicola Pearcey, who oversees EMEA strategy for the studio, said in a statement. “It’s a refreshing, unique, charming film that we are delighted to be adding to our 2019 theatrical slate.”