Lil Rel Howery Joins Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa in Animal Friends

Lil Rel Howery has joined the star-studded voice cast of Animal Friends, Legendary Entertainment’s R-rated CG-live action hybrid feature.

Peter Atencio, who last directed the 2023 action comedy The Machine, is helming the project whose call sheet includes Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa, Aubrey Plaza, Daniel Levy and Addison Rae.

Plot details are being kept under wraps but the project, written by Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider, is being described as a road trip adventure. Howery will voice one of the animated characters.

Producing alongside Legendary are Reynolds’ Maximum Effort and producer Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios. Visual effects and animation are being handled by visual entertainment services company DNEG.

Howery, who jumped on audience’s radar with his performance in Jordan Peele’s Get Out, is coming off a packed 2023 in which he appeared in a slew of movies and series. He starred in the Disney+ Christmas comedy Dashing Through the Snow, reunited with John Cena for Vacation Friends 2, popped up in Netflix’s caper comedy The Out-Laws, and appeared in Peacock’s Poker Face. On top of that, he teamed up with Tiffany Haddish for a five-city comedy tour.  

Howery is repped by is repped by UTA, Fourth Wall Management, and Cohen & Gardner.