Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez are teaming up for Not Alone, a new alien-themed animated film from Illumination, the makers of such huge franchises as Despicable Me and Super Mario Bros.
In his animation debut, Chalamet will voice Joe, an “introverted rocket mechanic who lives a quiet, solitary life,” according to an announcement made at the Annecy Animation Festival. Gomez will play Fran, “a brilliant astrobotanist who is developing the world’s first plant-fueled rocket.”
The film’s synopsis reads, “When Joe and Fran are brought together to prepare for the first launch of this revolutionary rocket, sparks soon fly, but neither of them are particularly good at romance.” “Life becomes even more complicated when three small, unruly, adorable aliens take refuge in Joe’s home. Dunk, Welly, and Silm are on an interplanetary run from an eager but incompetent lawman named Xandro. The aliens decide that Fran’s rocket will be a safe way to get home.”
Dunk, Welly, and Silm are voiced by Rob Brydon (Barbie, The Trip), Diane Morgan (Cank On, Mandy), and Jamie Demetriou (Cruella, Jay Kelly), with Ted Lasso’s Brett Goldstein playing Officer Xandro. The film’s supporting cast includes Allison Janney (Minions & Monsters, The Diplomat) and Lamorne Morris (Fargo, Spider-Noir).
“Not Alone” is co-directed by Illumination mainstay Eric Guillon, co-director of “Despicable Me 3” and designer of “Despicable Me” and “Minions.” Claire Dodgson, editor of The Lorax and Minions; and Jonathan Del Val, co-director of Minions: The Rise of Gru and The Secret Life of Pets 2.
“Not Alone” is scheduled for release on April 16, 2027. The film is produced by Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and executive produced by Joy Poirel, Richard Curtis and David Distenfeld.
Illumination just screened their latest Minions movie, Minions & Monsters, at Annecy. The film received positive reviews, with Guy Lodge of Variety calling it “a clear high point for the series, a Minions movie with an actual idea at its core that goes beyond the generic merry chaos, proving that the pill-shaped demon can function more as a star than a sidekick.”
