Sony Pictures Animation has enlisted Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and Stranger Things actor Caleb McLaughlin to headline the voice cast of its upcoming feature GOAT, a move unveiled during the studio’s Annecy 2025 presentation. Curry will voice seasoned roarball pro Lenny Williamson, while McLaughlin plays rookie goat Will Harris, joined by Gabrielle Union, David Harbour, Jennifer Lewis, Nick Kroll and Nicola Coughlan.
Set in an all-animal league where the full-contact sport “roarball” pits predators against underdogs, the story follows diminutive Will as he tries to prove that “smalls can ball”. Sony has slated the film for 13 February 2026, deliberately coinciding with the NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles.
GOAT is Curry’s first feature voice role and the latest project from his Unanimous Media banner, which signed a first-look pact with Sony last year. He produces alongside partner Erick Peyton, Michelle Raimo Kouyate and Modern Magic’s Adam Rosenberg and Rodney Rothman, while Sony Pictures Imageworks handles animation duties.
Bob’s Burgers alumnus Tyree Dillihay directs with co-director Adam Rosette, who was promoted from head of story; the screenplay comes from Aaron Buchsbaum and Teddy Riley. Dillihay calls the film “my dream project… a modern take on a classic story in a rich new world where amazing happens,” while Curry and Peyton say they hope the underdog tale “will resonate with families and sports fans alike”.
Industry observers note that positioning the release two days before the league’s marquee event could convert basketball’s global audience into multiplex business, mirroring Sony’s broader strategy of pairing original IP with marquee talent following Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. With production already under way in Vancouver, Montréal and Los Angeles studios, the all-star lineup has set expectations for a cross-generational play that mixes courtside energy with family-friendly storytelling.
