Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion voices cast

Romping around the fictional Cyrodiil countryside taking on trolls, orcs, and other mythical beasts just doesn't have the same potency when a party member speaks in a Southern drawl or a vanilla American accent. Bethesda today announced that it is working with three actors, and all of them hail from the United Kingdom.

Leading the way as the booming voice of the Emperor is Patrick Stewart. Stewart is no stranger to fans of fantasy. The 65-year-old Yorkshire, England, native filled some lofty space-shoes as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, set in a post-James-Tiberious-Kirk world. Stewart also used his chrome-dome authoritative accent for his role as Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men.

The Emperor's son will feature the voice of Sean Bean. Not to be confused with Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean, the 46-year-old is best known for portraying Boromir in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Though Oblivion is Bean's first work in a game, it's not his first in a game-related project, as he's playing a lead role in the upcoming film adaptation of Konami's Silent Hill franchise.

Terrence Stamp, whose career has resurged after appearing in Steven Soderbergh's art house thriller The Limey, can also be heard in the game. Stamp recently portrayed Supreme Chancellor Valorum in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.

The three Brits join Lynda Carter (TV's Wonder Woman) as the game's cast. "Quite honestly, we wrote the parts with these individual actors in mind," said executive producer Todd Howard. "It's an honor to have them lend their talents to the project."

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has not yet been rated by the ESRB and is expected to ship this year on the PC and Xbox 360.