'Peter Rabbit' coming to big screen, James Corden in voice cast

TOKYO - British stars James Corden and Daisy Ridley will help to bring the classic children's tales of "Peter Rabbit" to the big screen, Sony's Columbia Pictures studios said. Corden, host of CBS's "The Late Late Show," will voice Peter Rabbit and actress Rose Byrne will voice a character named Bea in the live-action CGI production directed by Will Gluck. The film is due to be released in April 2018. Announcement of the film coincides with the 150th anniversary of the birth of author Beatrix Potter, whose "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" was first published in 1902. It was followed by 23 stories of involving such characters as Mrs. Twiggy-Winkle, Jemima Puddle-Duck and Squirrel Nutkin. Potter's stories were inspired by the English and Scottish countryside and are a global merchandising franchise. "Star Wars" actress Ridley and "The Night Manager" star Elizabeth Debicki will also be part of the voice cast. -Reuters