Almost a half year after announcing the project, Netflix’s family series “Lost Ollie” has set its cast.
Based on William Joyce’s “Ollie’s Odyssey,” the story follows a lost toy rabbit named Ollie on an epic adventure, searching across the country for Billy, the boy who lost him. Billy lost more than a best friend that day, as he shares a magical bond with Ollie, and is desperate to reunite with his beloved toy.
Young actor Kesler Talbot will play Billy while “Hamilton” and “Mindhunter” alum Jonathan Groff will voice Ollie. Also onboard is Mary J. Blige as the raggedy teddy bear Rosy, Jake Johnson as Billy’s overworked father, Gina Rodriguez as Billy’s loving mother, and Tim Blake Nelson as the clown doll Zozo.
The project hails from creator/writer Shannon Tindle (“Kubo and the Two Strings”), who is also executive producing with director Peter Ramsey (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”) and “Stranger Things” producing duo Shawn Levy and Josh Barry.
ILM is handling the CG characters for the four-episode limited series, which will blend live-action and animation. Each episode will be approximately 45 minutes long, and filming is currently underway in Vancouver.