Michael Pena will play the antagonist in Warner Bros live-action/aminated take on the classic cartoon, ‘Tom & Jerry’.
It will be directed by Tim Story.
Pena joins previously announced star Chloe Grace Moretz, who leads the film as Kayla, a new hire at an elegant Park Hotel where Jerry is staying. Worried for her job, she hires a broke alley cat, Tom, to get rid of the mouse, reports Deadline.
Pena’s character, Terrance, is the Deputy General Manager of the hotel. A bit of bully, he hires Kayla as a temporary hire only to end up pitted against her and Tom/Jerry once she starts impressing upper management.
The slapstick cat-and-mouse antics of ‘Tom & Jerry’ have been around since 1940 when they were introduced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Between 1940 and 1958, the original ‘Tom & Jerry’ series yielded 114 shorts and won seven Oscars in the animated short category.
Television franchises, more shorts and a 1992 feature film, ‘Tom & Jerry: The Movie’ would follow over the decades.
‘Tom & Jerry’ will hit theatres on April 16, 2021.
