Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi and Bella Ramsey are among the new voices in the sequel.
The casting for the new Chicken Run sequel Dawn of the Nugget has not been without controversy – with the decision to recast some of the roles having been met with criticism, including from original Ginger actress Julia Sawalha.
Sawalha is one of a number of stars not to return for the sequel – with Mel Gibson and Timothy Spall among the others to have been replaced– and speaking during a recent exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, director Sam Fell explained why some actors had changed but not others.
“When I came to this project, I knew that I wanted to respect the first one, but I also wanted to evolve and make a film for now, for this era, for a new audience, and I’m a new director,” he explained.
“I’ve got my own kind of, like, particular tastes, so there has been a journey to kind of figure out the balance of the two, of the first film into the new world.”
So, if you’re wondering which stars have returned and which new actors have joined, read on for everything to know about the voice cast for Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.
Who is in the Chicken Run 2 voice cast?
The main line-up in Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is as follows:
- Thandiwe Newton voices Ginger
- Zachary Levi voices Rocky
- Bella Ramsey voices Molly
- Romesh Ranganathan voices Nick
- Daniel Mays voices Fetcher
- David Bradley voices Fowler
- Jane Horrocks voices Babs
- Imelda Staunton voices Bunty
- Miranda Richardson voices Mrs Tweedy
- Josie Sedgwick-Davies voices Frizzle
- Nick Mohammed voices Dr Fry
- Peter Serafinowicz voices Reginald Smith
Thandiwe Newton voices Ginger
Who is Ginger? The leader of the escape from the Tweedy farm in the first film – Ginger is a plucky, quick-thinking hen who seems to have achieved her happy ending.
What else has Thandiwe Newton been in? Newton has been a fixture in film and TV for the past 25 years, with key film credits including Beloved, Mission: Impossible 2, The Chronicles of Riddick, Crash, The Pursuit of Happyness and Solo: A Star Wars Story. On the small screen, she’s most familiar for her roles as Maeve Millay in Westworld and DCI Roz Huntley in the fourth season of Line of Duty.
Ginger was previously voiced by Julia Sawalha.
Zachary Levi voices Rocky
Who is Rocky? An American former circus rooster who aided the chickens in their escape from Mrs Tweedy’s farm and is now happily married to Ginger.
What else has Zachary Levi been in? Levi is perhaps now best known for his role as the titular superhero in the Shazam! films, while other roles include Chuck Bartowski in the TV series Chuck, the voice of Flynn Rider in Tangled and Fandral in the MCU movies Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok.
Rocky was previously voiced by Mel Gibson.
Bella Ramsey voices Molly
Who is Molly? The smart, stubborn and adventurous daughter of Ginger and Rocky, whose similarity to her mum starts to reveal itself in a manner that worries the overprotective Ginger.
What else has Bella Ramsey been in? Ramsey is one of the biggest rising stars in the world at the moment – in no small part due to their acclaimed performance as Ellie in hit HBO video game adaptation The Last of Us. They previously had a recurring role as Lyanna Mormont on Game of Thrones, while this year they also had a key role in the second season of BBC One prison drama Time. Film credits include Holmes & Watson, Judy and Catherine Called Birdy.
Molly is a new character for the sequel.
Romesh Ranganathan voices Nick
Who is Nick? The brainier half of a rodent double act with Fetcher, Nick supplies the chickens with useful items from the human world.
What else has Romesh Ranganathan been in? Ranganathan is one of the country’s most popular comedians and has appeared on a huge range of panel shows and entertainment series – including his own series The Ranganation and The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan. This is only his second film credit – after he played a mouse in the 2021 version of Cinderella – while other acting roles include the lead in BBC One comedy drama Avoidance, which he also wrote and created.
Nick was previously voiced by Timothy Spall.
Daniel Mays voices Fetcher
Who is Fetcher? Another rat who is not quite as quick-witted as his partner, but is just as sneakily resourceful.
What else has Daniel Mays been in? Mays is a prolific actor who has appeared in a huge number of popular and acclaimed British TV shows – with highlights including Line of Duty, Good Omens, Temple, Des, White Lines, Code 404 and The Long Shadow. He also has many big-screen credits to his name, including Made in Dagenham, The Limehouse Golem, 1917 and Your Christmas or Mine?
Fletcher was previously voiced by Phil Daniels.
David Bradley voices Fowler
Who is Fowler? An elderly eccentric rooster who loves nothing more than to regale anyone who’ll listen to the stories of his (somewhat dubious) wartime glory days.
What else has David Bradley been in? Bradley is best known for his roles as Argus Filch in Harry Potter, Walder Frey in Game of Thrones and for taking over the role of The First Doctor for various film and audio appearances after first playing original actor William Hartnell in the 2013 docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time. Other TV roles include Eddie Wells in Our Friends in the North and Ray Johnson in After Life, while film credits include roles in all three entries of Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy, plus appearances in Exorcist: The Beginning, Captain America: The First Avenger, Allelujah and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.
Fowler was previously voiced by Benjamin Whitrow.
Jane Horrocks voices Babs
Who is Babs? A hen who is often blissfully unaware of the dangers that surround her – but she is an expert knitter.
What else has Jane Horrocks been in? Horrocks is known for playing Bubble and Katy Grin in Absolutely Fabulous, Julie Cook in Trollied and Wendy in Bloods, while she has also had voice roles in a number of films, including Corpse Bride and Arthur Christmas. Live-action film credits include Sunshine on Leith and Swimming with Men.
Horrocks reprises her role from the first film.
Imelda Staunton voices Bunty
Who is Bunty? A gruff, pessimistic hen who is now a committed member of her break-in team.
What else has Imelda Staunton been in? One of the most revered actors of her generation, Staunton has recently been seen playing Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown and has a wealth of credits to her name on the big screen, small screen and stage.
She has earned four Olivier awards and a further nine nominations for her theatre work, while major film roles include Much Ado About Nothing, Sense and Sensibility, Shakespeare in Love, Vera Drake and Downton Abbey. She is also well known to Harry Potter fans as Dolores Umbridge, while small screen credits include Up The Garden Path, Is it Lega? and Flesh and Blood.
Staunton reprises her role from the first film.
Lynn Ferguson voices Mac
Who is Mac? Ginger’s ingenious, unflappable right-hand hen who is always ready to hatch cunning plans and solve problems using a unique and eccentric array of gadgets.
What else has Lynn Ferguson been in? Ferguson has worked extensively as a comedian and writer, while other acting credits include appearances in the comedy-drama No Angels, the sitcom Blessed, The Catherine Tate Show and The Bill.
Ferguson reprises her role from the first film.
Miranda Richardson voices Mrs Tweedy
Who is Mrs Tweedy? The flock’s former owner and nemesis, Mrs Tweedy is just as malevolent and avaricious as she was when we last saw her.
What else has Miranda Richardson been in? Richardson has enjoyed an extensive film career, with major credits including Empire of the Sun, The Crying Game, Sleepy Hollow, The Hours, The Phantom Of The Opera, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Young Victoria, Made in Dagenham, Belle and Stronger. On TV, she’s appeared in Blackadder, A Dance to the Music of Time, Merlin, The Lost Prince, Gideon’s Daughter and Good Omens, among others.
Richardson reprises her role from the first film.
Josie Sedgwick-Davies voices Frizzle
Who is Frizzle? A young and exuberant hen who befriends Molly at the start of her adventure.
What else has Josie Sedgwick-Davies been in? Sedgwick-Davies is less established than most of the cast – with Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget marking her first major screen credit.
Frizzle is a new character for the sequel.
Nick Mohammed voices Dr Fry
Who is Dr Fry? Mrs Tweedy’s new husband and the unhinged scientist behind Fun-Land Farms, whose sinister bird-brainwashing collar contraption puts chickens into a state of bliss – making their unstressed flesh far tastier.
What else has Nick Mohammed been in? Mohammed has been a regular face on TV in recent years, starring alongside David Schwimmer in the sitcom Intelligence (which he also created) and playing Nathan Shelley in the hit football series Ted Lasso. previous film credits include The Martian, Bridget Jones’s Baby, Christopher Robin and The Kid Who Would Be King.
Dr Fry is a new character for the sequel.
Peter Serafinowicz voices Reginald Smith
Who is Reginald Smith? An investor in Mrs Tweedy’s new nugget-creating enterprise.
What else has Peter Serafinowicz been in? Serafinowicz has a very extensive acting CV in both live-action and especially voice work, with highlights including voicing Darth Maul in The Phantom Meance, playing Pete in Shaun of the Dead and starring as the title character in The Tick. He also had his own self-titled sketch show in the mid-’00s, in which he played a range of characters such as Brian Butterfield, and has appeared regularly on panel shows throughout his career.
Reginald is a new character for the sequel.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is now playing in select UK cinemas and arrives on Netflix on 15th December 2023, while the first film is available now. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.