AFTRA and SAG agree on game industry gigs

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) today announced they have reached tentative agreements with video game companies on new contracts. The agreements—which become effective upon ratification and remain in full force until March 30, 2011— “achieves parity between the AFTRA and Screen Actors Guild contracts and includes expiration dates of March 30, 2011.

In addition, the contracts deliver a 3 percent wage increase upon ratification for SAG, thereby bringing SAG’s wages into parity with AFTRA’s, and another 2.5 percent increase on April 1, 2010, for both unions. Both pacts contain increases in benefit contributions and a liquidated damages provision to incentivize employers to give notice of strenuous voice work.

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Tim Curry, Kate Mulgrew headline Dragon Age voice cast

BioWare has tapped Tim Curry, Kate Mulgrew, Claudia Black, Tim Russ, and Steve Valentine to do voice work for its upcoming action role-playing game, Dragon Age: Origins.  The game will feature Tim Curry, star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Broadway’s Spamalot, as well as Kate Mulgrew, well-known for her role as Capt. Kathryn Janeway in “Star Trek: Voyager”, Dragon Age: Origins also includes notable cast members Tim Russ (”Star Trek: Voyager,” “Samantha Who?”),Claudia Black (”Stargate SG-1,” “Pitch Black”) and Steve Valentine (”Estate of Panic,” “Crossing Jordan”).

Tim Curry will play Arl Rendon Howe, a calculating villain descirbed as cultured and charming, with an insatiable lust for power. Kate Mulgrew will play Flemeth, a powerful witch who maintains her immortality through the darkest of means.

Risen voice talent revealed

Deep Silver revealed the voice talent it has lined up for the forthcoming role-playing game from Piranha Bytes. Piranha Byte’s game, Risen, will feature Andy Serkis as The Inquisitor. Serkis is best known for his CG character representations of Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong in the movie of the same name. Veteran British actor, John Rhys Davies, who has starred in such films as Indiana Jones and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, plays the role of Don Esteban. Movie actress Lena Headey, who played Sarah Connor in Terminator TV spin-off Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles takes on the role of Patty.

Serkis, Rhys-Davies and Headey are joined by a lineup of British TV actors including Torchwood actor Burn Gorman, Larkrise to Candleford star Brendan Coyle, Damian O’Hare from The Royal, I’m Alan Partridge star and Star Stories narrator Simon Greenall, Grange Hill actor Donald McCorkindale, fellow Grange Hill actor and Secret Diaries of a Call Girl star Stuart Organ. The Archers actress Louiza Patikas and Eastenders star Timothy Watson.

Risen will be released for the Xbox 360 and Windows. More information about the game check out risen.deepsilver.com.

Star line up for Real Heroes: Firefighter

Conspiracy Entertainment and Epicenter Studios announced the voice actors to be heard in heir upcoming first-person action game Real Heroes: Firefighter for the Wii. The game, which went gold earlier this week, is set for an August 2009 release, and was developed in cooperation with a 27-year firefighting veteran.

The cast of voice actors for Real Heroes: Firefighter includes James Marsters (”Spike” from the cult-classic TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Michael Jace – coming off his sixth season as (Officer Julien Lowe from the hit TV series The Shield), Jamie Kennedy (comedian), Jenette Goldstein (Private Vasquez in the classic film Aliens), Jack McGee (Backdraft and Rescue Me) and John Di Maggio (Bender from Futurama and Marcus Fenix in Gears of War).

Mickey Rourke Lands Lead in Rogue Warrior

Bethesda Softworks announced this morning that actor Mickey Rourke will do voice work as the lead role in its upcoming game Rogue Warrior. Rourke, who most recently won critical acclaim for his role in The Wrestler, will play Richard “Demo Dick” Marcinko, a real-life Navy SEAL and founder of the elite SEAL Team 6, in Rogue Warrior.

Rourke, who had fallen on hard times due to drug problems, made his comeback in 2008 as Randy “The Ram” Robinson in The Wrestler, for which he won a Golden Globe and a Spirit award in the ‘Best Actor in a Leading Role’ category and earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

Rogue Warrior is currently under development for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Games for Windows at Rebellion Studios. The game is scheduled for release at the end of this year.