Deadline & Entertainment Weekly shares that Eddie has joined the cast for Early Man.

Eddie Redmayne will voice the lead character in the animated prehistoric comedy Early Man, Aardman Studios and StudioCanal announced Monday.

The Oscar winner is the first cast member revealed as production begins on the Nick Park-directed film.

Set at the dawn of time when prehistoric creatures and woolly mammoths roamed the earth, Early Man centers on Redmayne’s “plucky caveman” character, Dug, who, with his sidekick Hognob “unites his tribe against the mighty Bronze Age in a battle to beat them at their own game.”

“Not only is Eddie a joy to work with, his versatility and boundless energy have really helped to bring my new character to life,” Park said in Monday’s announcement. “He embodies the cheeky charm, fun and plucky wit of Dug and I’m sure he’ll get along brilliantly with Dug’s sidekick Hognob.”

Early Man marks Park’s first feature film since the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Aardman and StudioCanal previously teamed on Shaun the Sheep Movie, on which Park was an executive producer.

StudioCanal, which is co-financing the project, will distribute the film in the U.K., France, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand with a projected 2018 release date.

Redmayne will be seen next in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, arriving in theaters on Nov. 18.