In an announcement guaranteed to pique the interest of sci-fi convention attendees everywhere, Star Wars stalwart Mark Hamill will be lending his voice to an animated film inspired by the life and work of legendary horror author H.P. Lovecraft. Hamill has joined the cast of the upcoming Howard Lovecraft And The Undersea Kingdom, slated for release in late 2017. Other actors attached to the Shout! Factory/Arcana Studios production include Oscar winner Christopher Plummer, Doug Bradley (aka Pinhead from Hellraiser), and Jeffrey Combs. The participation of Combs is especially welcome here, as the actor starred in one of the best-known Lovecraft adaptations, 1985’s gory Re-Animator, and its sequels.
Undersea Kingdom is based on a best-selling graphic novel of the same name by Bruce Brown and Dwight L. MacPherson, who have created a series of adventures that combine elements of Lovecraft’s own life with the supernatural aspects from his stories, including the notorious Cthulhu. Presumably, these books ignore the less palatable aspects of Lovecraft’s personal philosophy. Hey, some parts of his writing hold up better than others.
This is already the second animated film based on the well-received graphic novel series. The first, Howard Lovecraft And The Frozen Kingdom, was released in October 2016. Its voice cast included Ron Perlman and Jane Curtin, along with Plummer and Bradley. The trailer for that film attempts, with no subtlety whatsoever, to remind viewers of a certain other lucrative franchise. That logo at the 1:14 mark is pretty blatant.