Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Lopez to lend their voices to Ice Age 4

Fox has added some big new names to the upcoming fourth installment in the ICE AGE series, bringing on Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lopez, Aziz Ansari and Wanda Sykes to voice characters in the film. Subtitled CONTINENTAL DRIFT, the film will bring back Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Seann William Scott and Josh Peck (no Simon Pegg?).

The film takes place during the continental shift, which we are led to believe takes place because of Scrat’s dogged pursuit of an acorn, and our characters are separated by the oceans. Renner will play Gutt, a master of the high seas who helps to reunite the gang. Lopez will play a female sabre-toothed tiger and a love interest for Diego (Denis Leary).

Fox is planning a July 13, 2012 release for ICE AGE 4 and that’s not all they have in store for the popular franchise. As has been the rage lately with DreamWorks, Fox is planning an ICE AGE Christmas special to air later this year as well as an app game and an online game based on the property.

The last ICE AGE film, DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS, is one of the highest grossing films worldwide of all-time with a total of $886 million (ahead of THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, FINDING NEMO and REVENGE OF THE SITH) so it’s a certainty we’ll be seeing more ICE AGE films through the years.