Reuters
COPENHAGEN
Award-winning singer, actor and heartthrob Justin Timberlake will star in “Trolls”, a DreamWorks animated musical about the spiky-haired Danish dolls, the studio said on Tuesday. Timberlake will play Branch, a “hilariously hardcore survivalist”, joining Anna Kendrick as Princess Poppy in the first movie adaptation starring the Danish toys, which have already played cameos roles in Pixar’s Toy Story movies. The blank-gazed dolls with colourful spiky hairdos were inspired by Scandinavian troll folklore. They were first crafted in 1959 by Danish woodcutter Thomas Dam, too poor to afford a Christmas present for his daughter, and grew in popularity in the sixties. The movie will be directed by Mike Mitchell, who is well qualified by virtue of his experience on DreamWorks’ other troll franchise, Shrek. It will be released on Nov. 4, 2016 by 20th Century Fox.
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Timberlake will provide the voice for Branch, a “hilariously hardcore” survivalist who joins Kendrick’s Princess Poppy in the adventure pic. “Trolls” will be released on Nov. 4, 2016 by 20th Century Fox.
“Trolls” is directed by Mike Mitchell (“Shrek Forever After”), co-directed by Walt Dohrn and produced by Gina Shay. It’s the first movie based on the wild-haired Troll dolls which were created by Danish woodcutter Thomas Dam in 1959 for his daughter, based on the legendary Scandinavian troll, which became one of the biggest toy crazes of the 1960s. Timberlake is represented by LBI Entertainment, Wright Entertainment Group and WME.