Robert Redford Joins Voice Cast for E.B. White's Classic Book Adaptation of 'Charlotte's Web'

Robert Redford Joins Voice Cast for E.B. White's Classic Book Adaptation of 'Charlotte's Web'

Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, John Cleese, Steve Buscemi, Cedric The Entertainer, Reba McEntire, Kathy Bates, Thomas Haden Church and Andre Benjamin (AKA Andre 3000) Also Lend their Vocals for the Live-Action Feature/Photo Real CG Animated Film with Dakota Fanning to Star as Fern

SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Academy Award(R)-winner Robert Redford joins the voice cast for the screen adaptation of E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web". The other voice cast members include: Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, John Cleese, Steve Buscemi, Cedric The Entertainer, Reba McEntire, Kathy Bates, Thomas Haden Church and Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000.) Jordan Kerner is producing the upcoming live-action/photo real CG animated feature for his Kerner Entertainment Banner. The film is directed by Gary Winick ("13 Going on 30") and is a Paramount Pictures, Walden Media and Nickelodeon Movies co-production. The feature is currently in production in Melbourne, Australia.

Robert Redford will lend his vocals as Ike the arachnophobic horse. Ike panics and faints at the mere sight of Charlotte, despite being otherwise composed. With time he becomes less skittish although he never is fully comfortable around spiders.

Also joining as cast voices for "Charlotte's Web" are Roberts as the lead role of Charlotte A. Cavatica; Oprah Winfrey as Gussy the barn's maternal yet irreverent goose; John Cleese as Samuel the sheep; Steve Buscemi as the barn's sardonic rat Templeton. Cedric The Entertainer will play opposite Oprah as the other goose -- Golly. Reba McEntire and Kathy Bates will voice the barn's ironic cows; Betsy and Bitsy and Thomas Haden Church (Golden Globe Nominee in "Sideways") will voice Brooks, one of two dimwitted crows opposite Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000) as Elwyn the other crow.

The critically acclaimed book "Charlotte's Web" written by award-winning author E.B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams is the best selling children's paperback of all time. To date the book has sold 45 Million copies worldwide and has been translated into 23 languages since published in 1952.

Gary Winick will direct the film starring Dakota Fanning as Fern from a screenplay by Susannah Grant and Karey Kirkpatrick. Executive Producing alongside Edgar Bronfman is Kerner Entertainment's production topper, Paul Neesan and Nick Movies' Julia Pistor. Also Executive Producing is Bernie Williams. Walden Media's EVP Production, Alex Schwartz will oversee production for the company and Paramount Production President Karen Rosenfelt will oversee production on behalf of the studio. "Charlotte's Web" is published by HarperCollins Children's Books.

"Charlotte's Web" will mark the first picture for Jordan Kerner's, Kerner Entertainment Banner, which was brought to the studio to focus on all family event films.

Source: Nick Movies

CONTACT: Alison Mochizuki, +1-310-752-8044, or M. Janet Hill, +1-310-752-8073, both of MTV Networks/Nick Movies; or Gregg Brilliant of Paramount Pictures, +1-323-956-5872

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