Emma Thompson told Skydance Media her voice won’t provide any Luck now that they’ve hired former Pixar chief John Lasseter.
The Oscar-winning actor and screenwriter had already recorded parts of her vocal performance for Luck, a forthcoming animated feature being produced by Skydance Media, the film company that recently hired the controversial Lasseter. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Thompson decided to leave Luck out of concerns about working for the animation guru, who left Pixar last year after allegations of sexual misconduct.
Skydance, which was founded in 2006 by David Ellison—son of Oracle honcho Larry Ellison—has helped finance such box-office hits as Mission: Impossible—Fallout, as well as critical successes like Annihilation. The company brought on the 61-year-old Lasseter to help with its slate of animated films, thanks to his track record: While at Pixar, Lasseter led a remarkable run that included the Toy Story films, Finding Dory, and Coco, along with several other titles. He also contributed to Walt Disney Pictures smashes like Frozen and Zootopia.
Pixar made more than $13 billion worldwide during Lasseter’s regime, according to Box Office Mojo.
Thompson withdrew from the Lasseter-produced Luck not long after he was hired by Skydance in January. It’s the first instance of an actor backing off from a Skydance production because of Lasseter’s involvement, though some in the animation industry have pledged not to work for the company.
The move comes as Thompson, who an Oscar for Best Actress for 1992’s Howards End—and another for writing 1995’s Sense and Sensibility—is shaping up for one the biggest years of her on-screen career. She’ll appear in several film and TV projects in the coming months, and has a large supporting role in this summer’s Men in Black: International. Earlier this year, her comedy-drama Late Night was sold to Amazon for $13 million, making for one of the highest-ever deals to come out of the annual Sundance Film Festival.
