Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez Team Up for Illumination’s Alien Adventure NOT ALONE
Illumination has revealed its next animated feature, and it’s bringing together two big Hollywood stars. Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez are set to lead the voice cast of Not Alone, a sci-fi comedy packed with romance, aliens, and the kind of family-friendly chaos that the studio has built its reputation on.
Best known for blockbuster hits like Despicable Me and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Illumination is heading into outer space with a story that sounds equal parts sweet, funny, and wonderfully weird.
The film marks Chalamet’s first major animated voice role. He’ll play Joe, an introverted rocket mechanic who prefers keeping to himself. Gomez stars as Fran, a gifted astro-botanist working on something groundbreaking: the world's first plant-powered rocket.
The official synopsis teases a budding relationship between the pair: “When Joe and Fran are brought together to prepare for the inaugural launch of this revolutionary rocket, there are immediate sparks, but neither is particularly adept at romance.
“Life becomes more complicated when three aliens — tiny, unruly and adorable — take refuge in Joe’s home. Dunk, Welly and Shirm are on the interplanetary run from a zealous-yet-inept officer of the law named Zandro. The aliens determine that Fran’s rocket could provide their means of getting back home to safety.”
That story feels like a perfect recipe for an animated comedy. You’ve got an awkward romance, a revolutionary space mission, three troublemaking extraterrestrials, and a determined law officer chasing them across the galaxy. It sounds like exactly the kind of offbeat adventure that could become a crowd favorite.
The alien trio will be voiced by Rob Brydon, Diane Morgan, and Jamie Demetriou, while Brett Goldstein of Ted Lasso fame takes on the role of Officer Zandro. The supporting cast also includes Allison Janney and Lamorne Morris, giving the project an impressive lineup of comedic talent.
The film is being co-directed by Eric Guillon, who co-directed Despicable Me 3 and helped design both the Despicable Me and Minions franchises, alongside Claire Dodgson, editor of The Lorax and Minions, and Jonathan Del Val, co-director of Minions: The Rise of Gru and The Secret Life of Pets 2.
Production is being led by Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri, with Joy Poirel, Richard Curtis, and David Distenfeld serving as executive producers.
The announcement arrives as Illumination continues to ride a wave of success. The studio recently premiered Minions & Monsters at the Annecy Animation Festival, where the film earned a warm reception from critics.
Not Alone is currently scheduled to land in theaters on April 16, 2027.