Suffering sequel lands Hollywood talent

Another day, another film-game crossover. Today, the latest bit of entertainment-industry synergy was the announcement of the voice cast for Midway Games' shooter sequel The Suffering: Ties That Bind. The Hollywood Reporter reported today that Michael Clarke Duncan will provide the voice for Blackmore, one of the game's villains.

Duncan is most famous for his portrayal of a towering death-row convict in the 1999 drama The Green Mile, for which he received an Oscar nomination. He has since appeared in a number of high-profile films, including the comic book adaptation Daredevil and the remake of Planet of the Apes. His basso profundo can also be heard in several games, including Atari's Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone and SCEA's SOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALS.

Ties That Bind will also feature the game debut of another Oscar-nominated performer. Rachel Griffiths, who earned a Best Supporting Actress award for Hilary and Jackie, will voice the character Jordan in Ties That Bind. Griffiths has also been nominated for an Emmy twice for her recurring role on the HBO series Six Feet Under.

Speaking to the Reporter, Midway marketing chief Steve Allison said that "The Suffering has so much depending on the performances of the entire voice cast that we just felt we could really improve the game by elevating the expectations on the performance of the voice talent."

The Suffering: Ties That Bind is currently in development at Midway-owned Surreal Software. It is scheduled to ship for the PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 2 this fall.