The King of Kings: Release date, plot, voice cast and more about the upcoming animated Charles Dickens adaptation

Charles Dickens wrote a story for his young children, and now that story is coming our way in the form of The King of Kings. Seong-ho Jang directed the film, while the screenplay was given by Jang and Rob Edwards. It's not just the story, but we will get to see the character tell it to his son himself.

It has been Seong-ho Jang's passion project for around a decade, as she told Deadline when the project was announced.

Angel Studios will be distributing the film who bought the rights in November 2024. It is set to be released around Easter, which will give people just a perfect gift to enjoy the holidays with their families.

What's more interesting is that we get to hear it through the voices of actors and actresses as part of the ensemble cast, including Kenneth Branagh, Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, and more.

When is The King of Kings releasing?

The King of Kings is set to release on April 11, 2025, nine days before Easter. Angel Studios dropped the teaser on YouTube on December 31, 2024, which has 338K views at the time of writing. The teaser runs for just over a couple of minutes, where we get a glimpse of animated characters like Charles Dickens, Jesus Christ, and more.

This is the first animated feature film Angel Studios is distributing. They've another movie coming, dubbed David, which will be released this November, which focuses on another character of the same name from the Bible.

What is the plot of The King of Kings?

Charles Dickens originally wrote the story dubbed The Life of Our Lord. (Image via Angel Studios)

It's not just the story that Charles Dickens wrote and told his children on Christmas; The King of Kings will focus on the family, with the English novelist being the narrator.

As for the film's plot, Mofac Studio, which is producing The King of Kings, explains,

"Renowned storyteller Charles Dickens finds it challenging to bond with his imaginative son, Walter, amidst his busy career. After Walter disrupts one of Dickens' readings, Dickens decides to share the story of Jesus Christ with him, hoping to bridge the gap between them. As Dickens narrates the story, Walter becomes captivated, experiencing the events of Jesus' life vividly. Through the journey of Jesus, Walter and Dickens' relationship deepens, culminating in a bond of love forged through storytelling."

The original short story Dickens wrote was titled The Life of Our Lord.

Who are voicing the characters in The King of the Kings?

Oscar Isaac is playing Jesus in the film. (Image via Angel Studios)

The story of Jesus is told by Kenneth Branagh, who is voicing Charles Dickens, while Walter Dickens, the son, will be voiced by Roman Griffin Davis. Branagh is one celebrated actor who was appointed a Knight Bachelor in 2012 and is considered one of the greatest actors in Ireland. Uma Thurman will play Dicken's wife, Catherine, in there, while Ava Sanger will voice the eldest daughter, Mary Dickens.

Next up in The King of Kings is Oscar Isaac, who is voicing Jesus. He was recently seen in Marvel's Moon Knight and also lent his voice to Spider-Man 2099, aka Miguel O'Hara, in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

The versatile Ben Kingsley, whom we have seen portraying popular figures like Gandhi to a washed-up actor, Trevor Slattery, will voice High Priest Caiaphas. Then there's Luke Skywalker in the cast himself; yes, Mark Hamill will be the voice of King Herod.

Another celebrated actor in the cast is Forest Whitaker who is assuming the voice role of Peter, one of the Apostles of Jesus. Pierce Brosnan, the fifth James Bond actor, will voice Pontius Pilate.