Willem Dafoe has officially signed on for Disney’s Togo, which will be featured on the company’s upcoming streaming service. Disney’s untitled streaming service is set to launch in 2019, with several original features, including the film adaptation of Stargirl. 

Considering that the streaming service is a year out, Togo could be one of the first original additions to the platform’s library, along with a slew of Disney-owned content. Much like what happened with Netflix, Disney’s streaming content will primarily consist of previously-released movie and TV content in the beginning, including upwards of 8,000 episodes from ABC TV shows. And one of the things that will help establish the service as a worthy competitor in the field will be landing big-name actors, such as Dafoe, for major films and TV shows.

According to THR, Dafoe will star in Togo, which will be directed by Ericson Core (Invincible) for Disney’s streaming service. Togo will be a live-action feature focusing on two prominent figures in the 1925 Great Race of Mercy, in which dog-sled teams relayed in order to deliver diphtheria antitoxin serum through intense, cold conditions across roughly 700 miles, so they could save the Alaskan town of Nome from an epidemic.

Of the lesser known stories in this epic saga, a dog by the name of Togo and his owner, Leonhard Seppala, traversed through the harshest conditions of the journey, where they faced temperatures 30 degrees below zero with high impact winds. Dafoe will play Kaasen in the heartwarming, dramatic story of an unlikely friendship between man and dog. In his varied career, Dafoe has worked on independent films, award favorites, and even blockbuster movies. His résumé stretches back to the 1980s, where he started with smaller roles before landing his first Oscar-nominated performance in Platoon. Since then, Dafoe has taken on various roles in high-profile films and lesser-known independent vehicles.

Fans of the early 2000s Spider-Man trilogy will know the actor best for his portrayal of Norman Osborn, aka the Green Goblin. In 2017, Dafoe earned his third Oscar nomination with the independent hit The Florida Project. And now, he’s slated to appear in this year’s Aquaman movie as Nuidis Vulko, one of Arthur Curry’s chief strategists. But after that is all said and done, it looks like he will head back to the past for Disney’s Togo.

More: Aquaman: Willem Dafoe Explains His Character’s Heritage

Source: THR

  • Togo Release Date: 2019-12-20