Who's The Narrator Of 'Ted 2'?

When you go to see Ted 2 in theaters, you'll probably be focusing mainly on the events surrounding man and his teddy bear on-screen: the inside jokes, the court battles, the cameos from Tom Brady and Liam Neeson. It's easy to ignore the fact that there's a narrator outlining those very events, and that he's a voice you'll almost certainly recognize, even if you can't place it right away. He never appears, but that voice? So familiar. Who is the narrator in Ted 2 ?

The man leading Seth MacFarlane's film is none other than Patrick Stewart, the legendary actor behind X-Men's Professor X and Star Trek: The Next Generation's Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Stewart is perhaps better known as a man of drama than comedy, and as an accomplished Shakespearean, he has appeared in Macbeth and Hamlet in addition to his science-fiction credits. Yet he also frequently collaborates with potty-mouthed actor-director Seth MacFarlane, the man responsible for Ted and its sequel.

Before his work on the Ted series, Stewart (or his various likenesses) also appeared in 14 episodes of Family Guy including a role as narrator, and he narrated MacFarlane's second feature, A Million Ways to Die in the West. The British actor, who possesses a deep, distinct voice that instantly gives him away even when he doesn't appear on screen, also has a recurring role in American Dad! He plays Avery Bullock, deputy director of the CIA branch where Stan (voiced by MacFarlane) works. Much of the humor of Bullock's character is derived from Stewart's reputation as a serious dramatist who has played some of the most coveted roles on screen and stage.

Those are far from Stewart's first only gigs as a voice-actor, though. He worked on the English-language dub of Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and on 2001's Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. Filmmakers seem to have a penchant for placing him as narrator, too: his credits include several made-for-television features and shorts.

Yet his most notable voice work has undoubtedly been his collaborative work with MacFarlane spanning the previous decade. Next up for the duo is a live-action comedy series entitled Blunt Talk created by Bored to Death's Jonathan Ames and slated for release August 22. Stewart stars as Walter Blunt, a British television journalist trying to find his niche after a move to the United States. Last year, Starz ordered a 20-episode run of the series, to be released in two seasons.

Stewart has been critical in developing his role beyond the script, fleshing out his character's backstory in a multi-page profile. Though his voice work for MacFarlane has been nothing short of excellent, a live-action role gives him a range of expression that simply isn't possible when his voice is the only trace of him on screen. Still, Stewart's trademark baritone gives him the gravitas to take on a role as a high-powered television journalist.

Blunt Talk will be the actor's first starring comedy role, but he's dipped his toes in humor in the past in MacFarlane's series as well as guest appearances voicing The Simpsons and Robot Chicken. (A few previous comedy auteurs caught on to what an asset Stewart's voice could be before MacFarlane staked a claim to his skills.)

Unfortunately, the teaser for the show released in January doesn't give much away. Polite elevator music plays as a chalk outline of Stewart's profile draws itself on the screen. "Walter Blunt will do a line (if politely offered)," it reads. A second, longer trailer finds Stewart chasing all sorts of vices — coke, caffeine, and maybe even a bit of bondage. It looks like organized chaos, exactly what we'd expect from a collaboration between MacFarlane and Stewart. Blunt Talk is the logical conclusion of a decade of friendship and professional partnership, a synthesis of each of their tendencies in drama and comedy — or, maybe just a fun excuse to collaborate again on something cool. Whatever the reason, count us in.

Images: Universal Pictures; FOX