Ncuti Gatwa to star in Bad Fairies

Ncuti Gatwa has joined the cast of Bad Fairies.

The former Doctor Who actor will join the previously-announced Cynthia Erivo, in the upcoming animated musical from Warner Bros. Animation and Locksmith Animation.

The original tale follows a subversive gang of fairies as they shake up their magical world, and while the specifics of Ncuti's role haven't been revealed, Wicked star Cynthia will voice Jayne Staplegun, a trailblazing fairy who sparks a rebellion.

The movie is currently in production under the direction of Megan Nicole Dong and Olivier Staphylas, and is set to premiere in May 2027.

Deborah Frances-White has written the script, while Six: The Musical's Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss are writing the songs, and Isabella Summers of Florence and the Machine is contributing and composing the score.

Ncuti is best known for his role as the Timelord in Doctor Who but exited the show after just two seasons as the 15th Doctor and previously told how he decided to walk away because he felt "burnt out".

He told the Telegraph magazine: "I was tired and burnt out at the end of series two. It was exhausting. But it was a magical time, magical.

“There was never an opportunity to recoup the energy – it’s just go, go, go. I was doing seven-day weeks for eight months, and I found it hard being away from home and family. I’d already been shooting in Cardiff for five years (on and off) prior to that with Sex Education, and we started shooting Doctor Who while I was still doing Season four of Sex Ed.

“I had to wrestle with myself – I fell in love with that show. I’ll miss it, but I was ready to move on.”

Ncuti admitted he regularly overloads himself with too much to do.

He said: “Because I’m hungry! But I love everything I do, and you don’t want to stop doing things you enjoy.”

His busy schedule led to the Roses actor pulling out of Eurovision earlier this year, with Sophie Ellis-Bextor stepping into his place to read out the UK jury votes.

But despite the change being announced just days before the competition, Ncuti insisted he had made the decision "weeks in advance".

He said: "I pulled out because I was too busy. I had a lot of things on my plate.

“It wasn’t a last-minute thing – I pulled out weeks in advance and I don’t know why it was announced when it was. I’m told they needed to find a replacement before they announced it.”