With larger-than-life characters, ridiculous guns, and an entire universe to explore, it seemed inevitable that Sony’s dynamic duo Ratchet & Clank would one day make the jump to the silver screen. But when Sony announced that a full-length feature was in the works starring the gun-toting galaxy hoppers, reaction was mixed. After all, cinematic train wrecks such as Super Mario Bros. and Bloodrayne have made the term “video game movie” a four-letter word, so many feared Ratchet & Clank would get the same treatment.

But Sony has made it a point to have the movie reflect the games on which it is based. Recruiting computer animation studios Rainmaker Entertainment and Blockade Entertainment to craft the movie, Sony stressed that the Ratchet & Clank movie would not deviate from the art style established in the games, and that the fan-favorite voice actors would return to voice their big screen counterparts. Then a Ratchet & Clank movie trailer was released to showed that the series' trademark humor would be well preserved.

For all intents and purposes, things seemed to be coming together for Ratchet & Clank’s silver screen outing, but then information about the film slowed to a trickle, and fans were left to assume the worst.

Today, Sony and Insomniac Studios have broken their silence to reveal that work on the Ratchet & Clank movie is ongoing, and that several big name actors will be joining the voice cast. Sony has announced that Paul Giamatti (Shoot Em Up, Sideways), John Goodman (The Big Lebowski, Monsters Inc.), Bella Thorne (Blended), Rosario Dawson (Marvel’s Daredevil, Sin City), and Sylvester Stallone (Rocky, Rambo) will all be lending their voices to the Ratchet & Clank movie. Giamatti is set to play Chairman Drek, the big bad guy of the film, while Goodman’s role as “Grimroth,” Thorne’s role as “Cora,” Dawson’s role as “Elaris,” and Stallone’s role as “Victor” have not yet been explained.

This all-star cast joins the voice talent from the games, with James Arnold Taylor reprising his role as Ratchet, David Kaye returning as the robot Clank, Jim Ward coming back as the bumbling Captain Quark, and Armin Shimerman rounding out the cast as the nefarious Dr. Nefarious.

Blockade Entertainment CEO Brad Foxhoven was quick to praise the new talent, saying in a statement:

“We are honored and thrilled to have these actors join our cast. Their unique voices, and the level of humor and emotion they bring to their roles will help to create some endearing and memorable characters in the film.”

Sony has revealed that the film, which is due for release in 2016, will follow Ratchet and Clank as they team up with a group known as the Galactic Rangers to stop the evil Chairman Drek from wiping out every planet in the galaxy.

While the trailer certainly looks promising, Sony already has a spotty track record with game adaptions, with the recently released Heavenly Sword movie getting ravaged by critics and fans alike. Hopefully, the Ratchet & Clank film will manage to exceed expectations when it comes out next year.

Source: IGN