Why isn’t Mel Gibson in ‘Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget’?
nme.comChicken Run.Directed by Sam Fell, Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget sees the duo and their daughter Molly (Bella Ramsey) on a mission to secure their freedom after escaping Tweedy’s farm.The film has largely replaced the voice cast from the original, with Thandiwe Newton and Zachary Levi taking over from Julia Sawalha and Mel Gibson respectively in the lead roles.
The returning cast members include Jane Horrocks as Babs, Imelda Staunton as Bunty, Lynn Ferguson as Mac and Miranda Richardson as Mrs Tweedy.Nick Park and Peter Lord, who directed the original Chicken Run, serve as executive producers on the sequel alongside Carla Shelley.Director Sam Fell explained the reason behind the various recastings in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where he said Gibson was replaced because Rocky’s role is “different”.“Mel was a fabulous choice for Rocky when he was this playboy rooster,” Fell said. “He was a movie star and Rocky was a movie star.
It was perfect. But now Rocky’s more vulnerable. He’s a first time father. It’s more Ginger’s movie, so his role is different.”The rest of the absences however, including Benjamin Whitrow (Fowler), Timothy Spall (Nick) and Phil Daniels (Fetcher), are down to the sequel being “almost a reboot”, according to the director.“Going back to that temptation to make this thing and the nervously and apprehension about making it right, as much as I absolutely adore the first film, which I think is a masterpiece, I didn’t feel like I wanted to make a carbon copy,” Fell said.“I didn’t want to be too precious around it.
So in those first two years I started to make my own decisions and felt, casting wise, we’re 23 years later. It’s a long time.
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