Gena Rowlands and CatherineDeneuve have signed on to the voice cast of the English-language adaptation ofIranian author Marjane Satrapi's award-winning autobiographical comic books Persepolis and Persepolis 2.

The animated feature iscurrently in production in France and will be released through Sony PicturesClassics in North America. Deneuve will voice the role of Satrapi's mother andRowlands will voice her grandmother in the English-language version.

Deneuve will also portraySatrapi's mother in the French-language version, which features DanielleDarrieux as her grandmother, Simon Abkarian as Satrapi's father and ChiaraMastroianni as Satrapi herself.

Satrapi and VincentParonnaud co-wrote and are co-directing the project, which is being produced byMarc-Antoine Robert and Xavier Rigault of 2.4.7. Films.

Kathleen Kennedy of theKennedy/Marshall Company is serving as executive producer in association withFrance 3 Cinema.

The project startedproduction in October 2005, and is scheduled for completion in April 2007.

Persepolis is a coming-of-age story about an outspoken Iraniangirl that begins during the Islamic Revolution and follows through to her heartbreakingdecision years later to finally leave her country to live in France.