Meet the Actor Behind 'Thief's New 'Garrett'

Game Rant

By GR Staff

Published Apr 6, 2013

Gamers may not yet know the name Romano Orzari, but as the actor charged with bringing 'Thief's' titular hero to life, they soon will.

[HTML1]

Well, it seems whatever was keeping news on the upcoming Thief reboot under wraps has ceased, as new details are arriving en masse. Hot on the heels of a video looking behind the scenes at developer Eidos Montreal comes the first community video from the studio itself.

To talk about Thief means first talking about...the thief, known to gamers around the world as simply 'Garrett.' Bringing such a cult antihero to life is no small task, and with their re-imagined stealth adventure, Eidos turned to a brand new actor. Meet the voice, face and body of Thief's Garrett: Romano Orzari (White House Down, The Colony).

While the developers are right to be prepared for some fan backlash, since any change in casting is always met by some fans who would prefer to keep the status quo. Of course, Garrett isn't exactly Solid Snake, so we'll grant Eidos Montreal a little latitude. Not to say that Garrett's previous voice actor, Stephen Russell wasn't accomplished in his own right, but...these games are called reboots for a reason.

And after hearing Romano Orzari's take on Garrett in Thief's first cinematic trailer, we can firmly say he's off to a good start.

Although fans are likely to have reservations - and rightly so - Eidos Montreal doesn't seem to be taking their job lightly, and Orzari looks to be as committed to the performance as anyone could expect. What is surprising is just how far along development seems to be, if the studio is already willing to show that motion capture has already gotten underway.

Generally a studio breaking their silence with little more than concept artwork and a plot synopsis means release is a long way away. But perhaps Thief fans looking forward to a next-gen adventure won't have to wait very long. Well, as long as the hardware manufacturers hold up their end of the deal.

What do you think of Orzari's casting? Does his voice and approach seem at home with Garrett, or would you have preferred Russell reprise the role? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Thief is currently without a release date more specific than 2014, but is expected to launch on the PC, PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's next console. We'll keep you updated when the next community video is released.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @andrew_dyce.