Stars take trip to ‘Madagascar’ sequel
Ava Richardson The original cast from “Madagascar” will be joined by some new names in DreamWorks Animation and Paramount Pictures’ “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.” They include Bernie Mac, Sherri Shepherd, Alec Baldwin and Will.i.am.
Reprising their roles from “Madagascar” are Ben Stiller as Alex the lion, Chris Rock as Marty the zebra, David Schwimmer as Melman the giraffe, Jada Pinkett Smith as Gloria the hippo, Sacha Baron Cohen as King Julien the lemur king, Cedric the Entertainer as Maurice, Julien’s advisor and Andy Richter as Mort the chimp. Mac (“The Bernie Mac Show”) joins the cast as Zuba, Alex’s dad and head of the pride; Shepherd (“The View”), as Alex’s mom; Baldwin (“30 Rock”) as Makunga, a challenger to Zuba; and Will.i.am, of group Black Eyed Peas, as Moto Moto, a watering hole lothario.
In the new story, Alex, Marty, Melman, Gloria, King Julien, Maurice and the penguins and the chimps find themselves marooned in Madagascar. The penguins have ‘repaired’ an old crashed plane. Once aloft, they stay airborne long enough to make it to Africa, where the members of the zoo-raised crew encounter species of their own kind for the first time.
“Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” is directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, and produced by Mireille Soria and Mark Swift. Will.i.am serves as co-composer alongside Hans Zimmer.
The film is slated for a Nov. 7 release.
“Madagascar” grossed over $532 million in worldwide boxoffice.
