The casting for Dreamworks animation Kung Fu Panda 2 has just expanded to a larger extend. Jack Black is reprising the ass-kicking panda Po and recently Gary Oldman joined him in the movie, playing a rather mysterious character known as Peacock (I am not sure if it is a peacock or just a name sake that day!). The addition on the list has Michelle Yeoh, Jean Claude Van Damme and Victor Garber set to voice the new creatures in the sequel.
Malaysia's Michelle Yeoh will play The Soothsayer (goat), Jean Claude Van Damme will use his throat ability to voice Master Croc (a crocodile of course) while Victor Garber will play Master Thundering Rhino (again, a rhinoceros of course). According to DreamWorks Animations' press release as quoted on Empire Online, it confirms that Gary Oldman will voice a villain peacock, supposedly the character is known as Lord Shen, who commands a group of bandits that Po must fight against.
Besides the names above, everyone (Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross and James Hong) from the first movie will all return to voice the sequel. It looks like Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom is kind of rich in star-studded voice talent here. The movie is set for a release on May 27, 2011.
According to the press release again, producer Melissa Cobb also described the synopsis of the film:
In the sequel, Po goes on an amazing personal journey and we are thrilled to have assembled such a talented and well-respected group of actors to bring to life our new characters, who – alongside our returning cast – play such a critical role in Po's quest and his ultimate triumph over the forces of evil.