ME: Andromeda Casts Kumail Nanjiani as a 'Space Frog'
By Kyle Sledge 16 February 2017
The video game developer BioWare releases a humorous video confirming actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani’s role as a “space frog” in Mass Effect: Andromeda.
Just yesterday, the developers for Mass Effect: Andromeda gave fans of the forthcoming science fiction shooter a better look at some of the ancillary characters in the game by releasing several screenshots of the Krogan and Asari companions that will accompany players during their adventures in the title. Now, it seems as if BioWare is intent to expand the cast list even more so by releasing a fun new clip today that confirms actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani (HBO’s Silicon Valley, The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail) will be playing a role as a “space frog” character within Mass Effect: Andromeda.
As seen below in the video courtesy of BioWare Base on YouTube, Mass Effect: Andromeda fans aren’t given the name of the role in which Nanjiani is supposed to play, nor does the clip confirm exactly what type of alien race the Pakistani-American actor will depict beyond “space frog.” However, considering the silly phrases and terminology used to describe Nanjiani’s character’s physical attributes, it’s quite possible for the comedian to be playing a salarian, which is a warm-blooded amphibian native to the planet Sur’Kesh.
Beyond the confirmation of Kumail Nanjiani doing the voice work for one of Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s characters, not much else has been confirmed by BioWare concerning the matter. With this being the case, fans will surely want to know sooner rather than later whether or not the actor and comedian’s role will play a large or small part in the game’s story, or if the character can be selected as a companion.
For those unaware, BioWare has enlisted a bevy of talented voice actors for past entries in the Mass Effect franchise, with some of the previous characters’ vocals having been provided by relatively well-known Hollywood personalities. As a matter of fact, Keith David (Platoon, They Live) played Captain David Anderson, while Seth Green (Austin Powers, Robot Chicken) took on the role of Flight Lieutenant Jeff “Joker” Moreau, who was the pilot of Commander Shepard‘s SSV Normandy. Interestingly enough, aside from Kumail Nanjiani, Mass Effect: Andromeda also has cast Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption, SpongeBob SquarePants) as Alec Ryder, who is the father of the co-protagonist Ryder twins.
Taking all of this into consideration, it seems as if BioWare wants fans to have a top-tier experience when it comes to Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s conversations, for not only has the developer hired a list of solid voice actors, but also the studio has said that players will see “a ton” of the dialogue wheel. So, with Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s release date being a little more than a month from now, fans are surely ready to start exploring the game’s environments and chatting up a storm with its characters.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is set to launch on March 21, 2017 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
