'Angry Birds' movie will be like animated 'Saturday Night Live'

Columbia Pictures has put together a cast packed with comedic talent for “Angry Birds,” its upcoming movie based on Rovio Entertainment’s avian/porcine video game franchise, the two companies announced today. Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph and Peter Dinklage will be voicing lead roles. “Angry Birds” is the first foray into the feature film field for the “Angry Birds” franchise. The star-studded voice cast and first look at the the film was revealed after the app’s users launched 1 billion sling shots.

With 2 1/2 billion gamers around the world, ‘Angry Birds’ is one of those brands that can drive massive fan engagement.

Dwight Caines, president, theatrical marketing for Sony Pictures

Animation veterans Clay Katis (Wreck-It Ralph) and Fergal Reilly (The Smurfs) are co-directing Angry Birds, which is set to hit U.S. theaters on July 1, 2016. The film is being written by Jon Vitti (The Simpsons). The “Angry Birds” games have been downloaded more than 2 billion times since the first launch in 2009. The decline in popularity of the games, which have lost nearly 24 percent of their active players since the end of 2012, still leaves Rovio with one of the biggest aggregated audiences on smartphones and tablets, according to The Guardian.

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