J.K. Simmons set to star in ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’

J.K. Simmons has been confirmed to star in the long-awaited Baldur’s Gate 3, which has now received a confirmed release date.

The game was announced back in 2019, and a new trailer announced an August 2023 release date late last year.

Now, it has been confirmed by developer Larian Studios that the game will arrive on August 31 to PC, Mac, and PS5.

Starring in the game as General Ketheric Thorm will be J.K. Simmons, and a new release date trailer has been shared alongside footage of Simmons in the booth during recording for the game.

A new blog from Steam said of the game’s narrative: “Meet General Ketheric Thorm, a seemingly invincible necromancer leading an army of the dead towards the city of Baldur’s Gate. Ketheric isn’t the antagonist, but one of three main antagonists that your party will need to contend with if you ever want to get those tadpoles out of your head (maybe even if you decide you don’t).

“Ketheric’s plans for the people of Faerûn are as complex as his motivations, and so we knew his role would benefit from the kind of depth and gravitas that renowned character actor J.K. Simmons could provide. One take at the recording booth and we knew we’d made the right call.”

Baldur’s Gate 3 is the third instalment of the RPG series Baldur’s Gate, which is based on the Forgotten Realms campaign setting from the pen-and-paper game Dungeons & Dragons. The series, which launched in 1998 for the PC, was followed in 2000 by Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows Of Amn.

In an early access review of Baldur’s Gate 3 from 2020, NME said: “Even though it’s in early access, there’s so much content to dig into with Baldur’s Gate III’s debut that I’d be shocked if anyone experiences everything before the next expansion of meaningful content drops. It’s an ambitiously built, well-written tale of adventure framed by lovable companions and stunning fidelity.

“If you’ve got a busy imagination and consider yourself to be a fan of RPGs tabletop or digital, this game should be an instant purchase. I’ve never played a Baldur’s Gate game in my life, but this feels like a hell of a good place to start.”