Lucifer’s Tom Ellis Says He Got a ‘Promotion’ Playing God in Exploding Kittens

Lucifer hottie Tom Ellis is first to admit that being God in Netlix’s new animated romp, Exploding Kittens, is a “different experience” than he’s used to. In a recent MovieWeb interview he went on to say: “It obviously wasn’t lost on me when they approached me about playing God. I was like, ‘Okay, so, you know, I’ve got a promotion, that’s great.’ But yeah, they’re two really different projects. There were some similarities thematically — humanity. But it was a different approach for me. And it was very much about using my voice in a different way to have a lot of fun.”

Ellis stars alongside Sasheer Zamata (Agatha All Along) in the uproarious comedy created by Shane Kosakowski (You’re the Worst) and Matthew Inman, based on the über popular card game Inman co-created with Elan Lee. The premise: God (Ellis) has slacked off on the job and a heavenly council has sent him to Earth to redeem himself — in feline form. His “Godcat” bumps whiskers with Devilcat (Zamata), the Antichrist who has also been sent to Earth as a cat.

Watch Our Interview with Tom Ellis & Sasheer Zamata Below:

Tom Ellis on Exploding Kittens’ Cliffhanger Ending

Exploding Kittens

3.5/5

Earth sucks, so God (Tom Ellis) gets fired and sent to Earth to reconnect with humanity. The catch? He’s trapped in the body of a chubby house cat. As part of his rehabilitation, he moves in with a dysfunctional family and tries to solve their problems, but ends up spending a lot of time chasing laser pointers. And to top it off, Godcat’s next-door neighbor, who is also a cat, turns out to be none other than his nemesis, the Antichrist. The result is the ultimate fight between good versus evil…except, Godcat (Ellis) is distracted by a pigeon he saw in the yard and Devilcat (Sasheer Zamata) is busy napping on someone’s laptop.

Release Date

July 12, 2024

Seasons

1

Showrunner

Shane Kosakowski , Matthew Inman

Speaking of Godcat and Devilcat, the incredible season finale of Exploding Kittens has created a watercooler moment for fans, leading them to anticipate a second season.

Spoiler Alert for Exploding Kittens on Netflix“If Season 2 gets greenlit, there’s a whole new world to explore,” teased Tom Ellis. “I don’t want to spoil the end of Season 1, but let’s just say there might be a lot more kittens on the horizon.”

Seems Godcat and Devilcat hooked up and in the final, laugh-out-loud episode of the season, Devilcat gives birth to a, pardon the pun, helluva lot of kittens. Like, lots. Imagine the Season 2 possibilities.

In the meantime, one burning question remains. With all these two kittens emerging, is Tom Ellis a dog person or a cat person? “I grew up as a dog person,” Ellis admitted, “then I met my wife and was converted into a cat person. And now I have two cats called… [wait for it!] Cain and Abel, just to keep it biblical.”

Related

Exploding Kittens Review: The Netflix Cats Dragged in a Helluva a lot of Fun

Netflix’s card game-to-animated series doesn’t blow you away, but it offers a steady flow of funny mayhem and great characters.

Tom Ellis Joins the Thursday Murder Club

Meanwhile, on the horizon for Ellis is the big-buzz-generating Thursday Murder Club, the hot film adaptation of the 2020 crime novel by the great British comedian and presenter Richard Osman, directed by Chris Columbus (Rent, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Percy Jackson, Night at the Museum). Ellis is among an all-star cast featuring Dame Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Sir Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, David Tennant, Sir Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, and others.

“I am incredibly excited about the cast and the director,” Ellis beamed. “I posted something yesterday about it, it’s about 75% of my bucket list of people I wanted to work with in one job. So, that is what I’m really excited about, and just observing all this greatness. Just being part of it, I’m thrilled.”

In the meantime, tune into Exploding Kittens on Netflix here. Dive into the trailer below: