John Cleese, Bill Nighy, Kate Beckinsale join The Elder Scrolls Online

Bethesda Softworks is dumping some serious cash into The Elder Scrolls Online, and today they revealed an impressive cast of Hollywood talent for the game’s voice work.

The cast so far includes John Cleese, Bill Nighy, Kate Beckinsale, Alfred Molina, Malcolm McDowell and Lynda Carter, along with Peter Stormare, Jim Ward, Jennifer Hale and Kevin Michael Richardson.

The game is set to hit the PC/Mac in April 2014 and the PS4/Xbox One in June 2014. Read on for the official press release with even more information.

Bethesda Softworks, a ZeniMax Media company, today announced the members of the renowned cast lending their voices to The Elder Scrolls Online, the highly-anticipated game arriving April 4, 2014 on PC and Mac and June 2014 for the PlayStation 4 system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft. The Elder Scrolls Online ensemble includes Academy Award nominee John Cleese (“A Fish Called Wanda,” “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”), Golden Globe winner Bill Nighy (“Pirates of the Caribbean”), Kate Beckinsale (“The Aviator,” “Pearl Harbor”), Alfred Molina (“Spider-Man 2”) and Golden Globe nominees Michael Gambon (“Harry Potter”), and Malcolm McDowell (“A Clockwork Orange”). In addition, Lynda Carter (?Wonder Woman?) returns to the Elder Scrolls series to reprise her role from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

The Elder Scrolls Online is the latest chapter of the award-winning franchise and will bring the legendary experience online for the first time. Players can choose their own style of play as they embark upon an epic adventure across all of Tamriel, playing alone on heroic quests as in previous Elder Scrolls games, exploring the huge, rich world with a few friends, or joining with hundreds of others in massive PvP battles to save the Empire.

“This extraordinary group of actors helps bring the distinctive characters in The Elder Scrolls Online to life,” said Matt Firor, game director of The Elder Scrolls Online. “In The Elder Scrolls tradition, we sought world class talent to add a deep and enriching component to the immersive world the series offers players.”

John Cleese plays Cadwell, the cheerful and endearingly mad lost soul who is not afraid of anyone, even a Daedric Prince. Joining the cast as High King Emeric, Bill Nighy portrays a merchant prince whose luck and determination won him the throne. Kate Beckinsale takes on the role of Queen Ayrenn, the leader of the Aldmeri Dominion and Queen of the High Elves who is far more comfortable with a blade than her crown.

In addition, Alfred Molina takes on the role of Abnur Tharn, a wily old wizard and politician who is the head of the Empire?s Elder Council, and the de facto power behind the Ruby Throne. Lynda Carter plays Azura, the Daedric Princess of Dusk and Dawn from Skyrim who is a popular part of Elder Scrolls lore. Michael Gambon voices The Prophet, a mysterious blind man who guides the player through their journey to retrieve their soul; and Malcolm McDowell plays the key figure Molag Bal, an evil Daedric god from another plane who schemes to enslave the mortal souls of Tamriel.

The Elder Scrolls Online cast also includes:

• Peter Stormare (?Fargo?) plays Jorunn the Skald King, an unexpected monarch who led his people into an unlikely alliance.
• Jim Ward (“WALL·E,” “Despicable Me 2”) voices Mannimarco, a renegade High Elf wizard exiled from the realm for raising the dead and the world?s most powerful necromancer.
• Jennifer Hale appears in the role of Lyris Titanborn, a Nord half-giant, who, along with the Prophet, aids the player on their journey.
• Kevin Michael Richardson rounds out the cast as Sai Sahan a noble martial artist and master swordsman.

The Elder Scrolls Online has been named one of the industry?s most anticipated titles for 2014 and marks a historic point for the franchise with its multiplayer online play after nearly 20 years of developing these best-selling, award-winning fantasy role-playing games for single player only. The previous chapter in this franchise was The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim which was released in November 2011 and enjoyed worldwide critical and commercial success. As the sequel to the 2002 Role-Playing Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, and the 2006 Game of the Year, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Skyrim earned hundreds of ?Game of the Year? awards and sold over 20 million copies.

The Elder Scrolls Online is being developed for the PlayStation 4 system, Xbox One, PC, and Mac by ZeniMax Online Studios. The studio is headed by industry veteran Matt Firor who has more than 20 years of online game development experience. Working with Matt is a team of highly regarded professionals who have created some of the best known online games ever released.

The Elder Scrolls Online has been rated M for Mature by the ESRB.