'Kung Fu Panda' cast revealed

Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan and Ian McShane will join Jack Black in the animated feature.

Nov  9 2005

Just when you thought animated features couldn't get more strange or outlandish, DreamWorks have announced that Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan and 'Lovejoy' himself, Ian McShane, will lend their vocal talents to the forthcoming feature 'Kung Fu Panda'.

The CGI picture will feature the voice of Jack Black as Po, a lazy panda who is galvanised into action when evil powers attack his home, the Valley of Peace.

Hoffman will play Shifu, a kung fu master; Chan has been cast as Master Monkey, a feared and respected warrior, while McShane, who is currently wowing TV audiences in 'Deadwood', will play Tai Lung, a villainous snow leopard.

And if all that star power weren't enough, Lucy Liu is also in talks to play Master Viper, another of Po's teachers.

'Kung Fu Panda', which will be directed by Mark Osborne and John Stevenson (who worked on both 'Shrek' and 'Madagascar', is expected to hit cinemas in May 2008.