The classic 1990s 16-bit Sega Mega Drive/Genesis video game, ToeJam & Earl, is set to receive the cinematic treatment at Amazon Studios.
The classic video game from the 1990s ToeJam & Earl is set to receive the cinematic treatment at Amazon Studios. Released to Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1991, the game was centered on the titular aliens, two rappers who crashed their spaceship on Earth and must work together to escape. Despite lower-than-expected sales, the game proved popular with critics and spawned two direct sequels, ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron and ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth. A third sequel, ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove, was funded through Kickstarter by franchise creator, Greg Johnson, and hit the market in 2019.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, a ToeJam & Earl feature film is currently in development at Amazon Studios. The upcoming adaptation will also be produced by Story Kitchen and NBA star, Stephen Curry's, Unanimous Media. Animated comedy Hotel Transylvania 4's writers, Amos Vernon and Nunzio, have been tapped to pen the script. However, a director has yet to be announced. Read the official synopsis for the ToeJam & Earl movie below:
Earth, their legends tell them, is the Paradise where the music that created their culture originated. Unfortunately for our heroes, not only do they wreck their ship, but they find that Earth is . . . well, not the haven they expected. But the music – that part was true. So begins their quest to find as much of that music as they can in the hope of saving their planet, and maybe ours as well.
Although the first two ToeJam & Earl games were on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis like the original Sonic The Hedgehog, a fourth-generation 16-bit system, the characters were not given voice actors. Instead, their dialogue appeared as text on the screen. However, ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth and ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove were developed for later gaming platforms which allowed voice actors to bring the titular characters to life. Gregory Savoy Brown portrayed Earl in both games with Kirk McHenry voicing ToeJam in ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth and Tonez the Prince lending his talents to the character in ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove.
Bringing back the original voice actors would seem like the logical choice for the ToeJam & Earl adaptation. Unfortunately, Gregory Savoy Brown passed away while ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove was in production. Likely the studios would have cast more well-known actors in the title roles regardless, as seen with Chris Pratt's casting as Mario in the upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie and Parks & Recreation's Ben Schwartz as Sonic in Sonic the Hedgehog. However, Colleen O'Shaughnessey was cast as Tails in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, reprising her voice role from previous video games and television series. With no cast yet announced, audiences can only speculate as to who will play ToeJam and Earl.
Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele would be a great choice for the duo as the comedic partners have been performing together for years as the main players in their wildly popular sketch-comedy series, Key & Peele. They have recently lent their voices to Henry Selick's latest stop-motion movie, Wendell & Wild. However, since the two are currently in high demand, it is possible that younger actors may voice the role, especially if the film yields strong enough results to warrant a future ToeJam & Earl franchise. Due to the musical nature of the video game series, the studios may even consider hiring rappers to lend their voices. Unfortunately, audiences will have to wait for a future casting announcement to see who will bring ToeJam & Earl to the big screen.
Source: THR
Brandon Louis is a TV/Movie news writer. He grew up absorbing every book, movie, TV show that he could get his eyes on. With a passion for storytelling, his favorite media can give an idea of who he is: Vertigo, Panic Room, Jurassic Park, Lawrence of Arabia.