Cher & Bob Geldof In Talks For Animated Feature ‘FlySquad – First Strike!’
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- Cher and Bob Geldof are in talks to voice roles in the Australian animated feature "FlySquad – First Strike!," written and produced by filmmaker Anthony Maley.
- The film follows three insect heroes infiltrating a vast human chemical fortress for an antidote to a toxin threatening their survival; Cher is eyed as the protagonist's mother, while Geldof would play a legendary insect rock star who organizes "Insect Aid."
- The project is independently developed, currently in the packaging phase after recent meetings in LA and northern California, and is positioning itself to tap into Australia's production tax incentives.
- Kruger Cowne Management, the London-based firm handling negotiations, is led by CEO Mark Cowne, who co-founded animal charity Free The World with Cher — a connection the producers cited as central to aligning the project with species-preservation messaging.
- Cowne said FlySquad "struck a chord" as "a fun way to highlight species preservation," framing the comedy as ecological messaging aimed at young audiences.
- Cher's last film role was the 2018 musical sequel "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again," in which she played Ruby Sheridan — meaning a confirmed FlySquad role would be her first feature film credit in roughly eight years.
Why it matters: Independent animated features rarely attach Oscar-caliber talent during the early packaging phase — Maley said the caliber of partners engaging with the project 'has exceeded our expectations,' a marker of momentum to close financing, qualify for Australian tax incentives, and pitch global distributors. A Cher commitment would also end her roughly eight-year absence from feature film, dating back to her 2018 Mamma Mia! sequel.
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