Exclusive: Josh Gad to Voice Songbirds in The Last Jedi
While Star Wars may not be for the birds just yet, there will be plenty of our fine feathered friends in The Last Jedi. According to our spies, Josh Gad has signed on to record the voices of not one, but an entire flock of the space birds that keep Luke Skywalker from going even more insane on the island of Ahch-To. Gad, whose musical comedy stylings have made him a Disney favorite, is creating distinct personalities for the birds known as porgies, similar to how The Smurfs shared a basic look, but each had unique yet equally grating voices.
Our spies also mentioned what makes the porgies so special: they’re force sensitive and have a great ear for music. In fact, these intergalactic songbirds perform two songs in the upcoming Star Wars sequel. The first musical sequence occurs when the porgies meet Rey, which is clearly a tribute to Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. As such, the songbirds immediately sense the force in the mysterious heroine and commence to bring the craggy cliffs alive with the sound of music. We’re not sure whether Daisy Ridley actually sings along with the porgies, but she may not have to, since Gad can certainly carry a tune on his own given his performances in Frozen and Beauty and the Beast have proven.
As magical as that encounter sounds, it’s the porgies second musical sequence that really steals the show. We’re told the lyrics involve the origin story of the force itself, and the space birds perform their song at the foot of the iconic force tree – the literal birthplace of the mystical belief system. During the porgies’ performance, new powers are awakened within Rey; she begins to levitate, and somehow manages to lift the Millennium Falcon from the base of the mountainside up to the peak near the holy tree.
Despite only having two musical numbers in the film, Gad has been taking voice lessons to master his parts. And we can see why. It’s one thing to voice one character, but to voice nearly 12 and sing in those voices – the Book of Mormon star certainly has his work cut out for him. According to one report, however, the lessons paid off big-time, as Gad’s multi-faceted performance is already garnering Oscar buzz despite having unfinished FX in the sequence.
The funny song-and-dance man’s addition to The Last Jedi may explain why Gad was so eager to promote the film in a series of social media videos co-starring Daisy Ridley. Many analysts believed the pair were simply promoting their star-studded remake of Murder on the Orient Express, but we now believe the Disney contractors were in fact killing two birds with one stone. Very savvy marketing indeed.
We can’t wait to hear the porgies sing with our own ears, and we’re convinced their songs are somehow intertwined with midichlorians. But that’s just our wishful thinking! As always, keep it locked to FakingStarWars.net for all the Star Wars news worth faking. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for even more unbelievable news from a galaxy far, far away.
-William “Willybobo” Bobo
