Star leads Chicken Run cast
LEICESTERSHIRE’S Bella Ramsey will lead an all-star cast in the longawaited Chicken Run sequel. The actor takes on an important role in the stop-motion follow-up, entitled Dawn of the Nugget, which promises plenty of thrills, spills, and eggs.
The 19-year-old Last of Us actor, who studied acting at Loughborough’s Stagecoach Theatre, stars as Molly, the hatchling of the first film’s leads, Rocky and Ginger.
The sequel is set in the immediate aftermath of the original movie and sees Molly’s parents, now played by Zachary Levi and Thandiwe Newton, believe their life is perfect and safe.
However, this is not the case as their peaceful island sanctuary hears news of a terrible incident that threatens the “whole of chicken-kind”.
It’s a warning they simply cannot ignore and are faced with breaking into a chicken farm on the mainland to save those under threat.
New images of the sequel’s central cast have been released, with Bella’s Molly - described as a “chick off the old block” - seen brandishing a spoon, pink scarf and wide smile.
Speaking to PA, Bella said Molly had a “huge heart” but was full of rebellion. She said: “Molly is an incredibly curious and very intelligent chicken with a huge heart and a strong sense of justice. She has inherited a rebellious wild side from her dad, and determination and all her social skills from her mum.”
The original Chicken Run movie, which hit cinemas in 2000, is the highest-grossing stop-motion animated film of all time.
It saw an unlikely gang of chickens, led by Rocky and Ginger, pull off a death-defying escape from Tweedy’s farm as the birds looked set to be turned into pies.
The sequel will also see Bella star alongside the likes of Jane Horrocks, Imelda Staunton and Lynn Ferguson who reprise their roles of Babs, Bunty and Mac. Comedians Daniel Mays and Romesh Ranganathan also star, taking over the voices of scrounger rats Nick and Fletcher, played in the first film by Timothy Spall and Phil Daniels.
Writers Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell also return to write the film and have been joined by Rachel Tunnard. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget hatches on Netflix this December.