'Devastated and saddened': Julia Sawalha after being axed from 'Chicken Run' sequel

British actress Julia Sawalha has claimed she is being axed from the upcoming Chicken Run sequel as the producers of the movie feels that her voice sounds "too old".

The actor was informed via email, through her agent that she would not be cast as Ginger, the mated protagonist in the coming sequel.

"The reason they have is that my voice now sounds "too old" and they want a younger actress to reprise the role," read a Twitter statement posted by Sawalha.

She took to Twitter on Friday and posted a public statement explaining how "devastated and saddened" she felt after receiving the news.

The 51-year-old actor also mentioned that they did not even give an "opportunity" to her to do a voice test in the first place to determine the suitability of the pitch and tone.

However, she took the step of recording her own voice test, and send it to producers; only to face rejection later.

"Some of the voices (not yours, I agree) definitely sound older," however they had also confirmed, "We will be going ahead to re-cast the voice of Ginger," the statement further read.

The original 'Chicken Run' that was released in 2000 was directed by Peter Lord, and Nick Park.

Apart from Julia Sawalha, the film stars voices of Mel Gibson, Tony Haygarth, Miranda Richardson, Phil Dels, Lynn Ferguson, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, and Benjamin Whitrow.

( With inputs from ANI )