Pinky and the Brain (film)

Pinky and the Brain is a 2022 live action/animated comedy film based on the characters of the same name from the Animaniacs franchise. The film will be co-produced and directed by longtime Animaniacs producer Steven Spielberg and written by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche, who originally voiced the duo, will reprise their respective roles, with the addition of Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, and Chris Rock.

Premise
The lab mice duo, naïve Pinky and his genius friend, the Brain, get shipped from their home at Acme Labs in Burbank, California, to a tall, highly technical laboratory in New York City. There, Brain and Pinky come across a group of megalomaniacs, in which they happily accept them into their league. But little do they know; they keep a very big secret that might ruin Brain's chance at taking over the world.

Voice cast

 * as the Brain: A short, but intelligent laboratory mouse bent on world domination.
 * as Pinky: Brain's tall, dimwitted friend who often assists Brain with his schemes and inadvertently ruins them.
 * as Gary: A roaming big city hamster who befriends Pinky.

Live action cast

 * as Hughe Tuffgi: The leader of the American League of Megalomaniacs (ALOM), who has a vendetta against rodents, but hides it from the mice when they join the team.
 * as Angela Evelle: Hughe's fiancé and vice leader of ALOM.
 * Steve Schirripa as Dr. Maurice Mordough: An Acme Labs geneticist who is responsible for building the gene splicer and making Brain and Pinky into who they are now.
 * as Jason Tsui, a skilled Hong Kongese martial artist.
 * as Patrick Tsui, a skilled Hong Kongese martial artist and former scientist at Acme Labs. He is Jason and Jessica's brother.
 * as Jessica Tsui, a skilled Hong Kongese spy who befriends Pinky. She is Jason and Patrick's sister.
 * Anna Apfelbaum as Katrin: A scientist at Acme Labs.
 * as Sayaka: Katrin's lab partner at Acme Labs.
 * as Kentaro: Sayaka's father.
 * as Christina: Pinky and Jessica's fencing instructor.
 * Daryl Lee as Kwok Chung-Ping
 * as himself
 * as himself
 * as herself
 * as herself
 * as himself
 * as himself

Production
On July 13, 2018, over a year after word that Animaniacs was getting a reboot, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that a Pinky and the Brain spin-off film was in development.

Music
On March 17, 2022, it was announced that John Debney would compose the film's score. On the same day, it was announced that The Weeknd and Lil Nas X have written songs for the film, along with two musical numbers by original Animaniacs composer Randy Rogel.

Marketing
The poster for this film was revealed on January 26, 2022, with the first trailer releasing the next day on January 27. The trailer featured an epic remixed version of the Poppy Family song "Where Evil Grows" with an epic version of the Pinky and the Brain theme instrumental mixed in. The trailer received positive reception from fans.

A special TV spot, with a length of 30 seconds, aired during the Super Bowl LVI on February 13, 2022. Another TV spot, spoofing another Warner Bros. film,, was released on March 4, 2022, to celebrate said film's release in theaters.

Another poster was revealed on April 7, 2022, with the second and final trailer releasing the next day on April 8.

Release
Pinky and the Brain was theatrically released in the United States on June 3, 2022, and will be available to stream on HBO Max 15 days later. The film had its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, on May 24, 2022. The film was first released in theaters in Italy, France, and the Netherlands on May 25, 2022. It was initially scheduled to be released in the US on May 28, 2021, but was delayed, alongside many other films, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Future
On March 17, 2022, Warner Bros. and Amblin announced that a second Pinky and the Brain film, along with a Animaniacs film, and a Wakko Warner spin-off are in development. Paulsen and LaMarche are set reprise their roles for the sequel, and Jess Harnell is set to reprise his role as Wakko for the latter project.