Bill Hader’s going from killer to cat.
Fresh off his Emmy-winning, four-season run in HBO’s Barry, Hader’s next role will officially be voicing the Cat in the Hat in an upcoming animated movie. Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced the news today, and also revealed the release date for The Cat in the Hat: March 6, 2026.
Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary), Bowen Yang (SNL), Xochitl Gomez (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows), and Paula Pell (Girls5eva) will also be in the voice cast, although WB didn’t disclose who they’ll all be playing. See the official logline for the film below:
In the wonderfully whimsical tradition of Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat comes to the big screen in his animated theatrical feature film debut, doing what he does best — spreading joy to “happyless” kids. In the film, The Cat takes on his toughest assignment yet… to cheer a pair of siblings struggling with their move to a new town.
Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja will write and direct The Cat and the Hat. In addition to starring, Hader is also serving as executive producer.
Interestingly, WB’s announcement teases that there could be plenty more animated Dr. Seuss projects to come. It says Cat in the Hat is the first of “a slate of animated projects that Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Dr. Seuss Enterprises are developing together that builds out an extensive Dr. Seuss animated universe.”
While today marked WB’s first official confirmation of the Cat in the Hat film, the news that Hader would be starring came out last week via The InSneider newsletter, and fans were quick to point out that Hader actually has already played the character before… in an SNL sketch from 2014. It’s probably safe to assume that the animated movie will be a decidedly different take than Hader’s, well, hornier portrayal of the character on SNL, but it’s a funny part of the story nonetheless.
The Cat in the Hat’s last big-screen adaptation came in 2003, with another SNL star, Mike Myers, stepping into the title role in live-action. That movie, however, was slammed by critics and disappointed at the box office.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
