A whole host of names have jumped on board Universal Pictures live-action animation hybrid, The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, the latest franchise vehicle for Robert Downey Jr.

After taking Tom Holland under his wing in last year’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, Downey will be teaming up with Holland as well as Emma Thompson, Ralph Fiennes, Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen and Selena Gomez.

Robert Downey Jr. leads the film as the physician who can speak with animals, Doctor Dolittle. Banderas will play a pirate named Rassouli and Sheen plays Mudfly, two of the live-action roles alongside Downey. The other four will voice talking animals.

Traffic and Syriana’s Stephen Gaghan will direct from a script he has penned. While Alice In Wonderland and Snow White and the Huntsman’s Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum will produce alongside Susan Downey.

The film will be based on the 1922 book by Hugh Lofting, the second in the Doctor Dolittle series. The book was nearly five times as long as its predecessor and the writing style is aimed at a more mature audience. The scope of the novel is vast; it is divided into six parts and the illustrations are also more sophisticated.

Holland will next be seen in The Russo Brothers, Avengers: Infinity War, he has also voiced a character in the forthcoming Spies in Disguise. Fiennes will be seen alongside Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in Holmes and Watson and Thompson is due to appear in the Amazon and BBC production of King Lear.

Production is due to begin this month with an April 12th, 2019 release date scheduled.