Seinfeld alum Jason Alexander has joined the cast of Richard Lovely , a new single-camera comedy pilot for Fox. However, the actor will not be seen on the television show, just heard — Alexander will provide the voice for Mr. Mouse.
In early March, The Inquisitr first reported on the potential series, which tells the tale of a disgruntled children’s book writer, Richard Lovely ( The Odd Couple’ s Thomas Lennon), who has authored best-selling tomes about an animated character named Mr. Mouse. Lovely, who, despite his profession, is not a fan of kids, winds up in a publicity mess involving a savvy 9-year-old child. Mr. Mouse then somehow comes to life, and Lovely is forced into a rather bizarre father-son relationship with him.
Will Alexander’s Mr. Mouse, who will be in cartoon form, sound just as sarcastic as George Costanza, or will he use a different, perhaps squeaky, voice?
The Richard Lovely pilot will also feature Wendie Malick ( Hot in Cleveland ) as Lovely’s mother, Alana; Nicole Sun ( Dr. Ken ) as his neighbor, Lindsay, who is a recently divorced single mother; Asif Ali ( Wrecked ) as his literary agent, Howard, who works hard to get Lovely out of the troubles that he needlessly starts; and Nicole Richie ( Great News ) as Kelli, his millennial publicist and polar opposite.
Child actors Mason Schneiderman, Kai Cech, and Thom Nemer have also been tapped for the pilot, which will be directed by Alex Hardcastle ( You’re the Worst ).
No word yet as to when the Richard Lovely pilot will be filmed.
Following the announcement that Alexander will be voicing Mr. Mouse, he tweeted out a message to fans saying that he hopes they get to see the show because “the script is funny as hell.”
The 59-year-old is no stranger to voice-over work. He has voiced many animated characters throughout his long career, including several for Disney, such as the gargoyle Hugo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and its sequel; Lil’ Lightning in 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure ; Abis Mal for the Aladdin franchise; Poseidon in Disney’s Hercules: The Animated Series ; and Zutho in The Legend of Tarzan .
Recently, the Emmy nominee has acted — albeit underneath a mask — on Fox’s The Orville , as a reptilian bartender named Olix; and in his normal, human form on CBS’ Young Sheldon as the drama teacher, Mr. Lundy.
Alexander has been married to Daena E. Title for 37 years, and the couple has two children together: 27-year-old actor Gabe Greenspan and 23-year-old Noah Greenspan.