Hugh Jackman has joined the voice cast of Hulu series Koala Man, created by Michael Cusack.
The animated series, produced by 20th Century Fox, expands upon the 2019 pilot Cusack created with Princess Pictures via Screen Australia/ABC’s Fresh Blood initiative, about a divorced dad who works for a council by day but at night turns into a koala mask-wearing superhero. It was first commissioned by Hulu in March 2021.
Cusack voices the titular hero, also known as Kevin, whose only superpower is a burning passion for following rules and snuffing out petty crime in Dapto, south of Wollongong.
Jackman will voice Big Greg, head of the Town Council who has only known success. Formerly the host of Fishing Big with Big Greg, Australia’s third most popular fishing show, Big Greg has ridden his celebrity into a trusted position in Dapto.
The series is being animated via Melbourne’s Princess Bento Studio, a joint venture between Princess Pictures and the Fox Entertainment-owned Bento Box.
Cusack is the executive producer, with Justin Roiland and Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit.
Mike Cowap also serves as executive producer for Princess Bento. Dana Tafoya Cameron and Ben Jones are executive producers for Bento Box Entertainment.
Cusack’s other recent projects include Adult Swim short-form series Smiling Friends, recently nominated for the Hollywood Critics Association Award for Best Animated Short Form Series.
Having begun his career in viral shorts like Damo and Darren of ‘Ciggy Butt Brain’ fame, Cusack broke out internationally when Rick & Morty co-creator Roiland asked him to create an April Fool’s episode, Bushland Adventures (and led to many Americans googling Bendigo). Adult Swim’s Yolo: Crystal Fantasy followed, the first time the network had made a series order outside of the US.
Koala Man will air on Hulu in the US, with an Australian broadcaster yet to beannounced.