It’s time to break out the corn cob pipe, the can of spinach and maybe consider whether we’re scrapping the barrel of I.P. and brands, people. Variety reports that Chernin Entertainment (the folks behind the modern “Planet of The Apes” franchise) and King Features are partnering to develop a brand new live-action feature take on the classic cartoon character “Popeye The Sailor Man.” An iconic and beloved cartoon character that first debuted in comic strips in the late 1920s and some animated shorts in the 1930s, Popeye would eventually be best remembered for his catchy theme song and the cans of spinach he eats in moments of distress to receive a sudden burst of super-human levels of energy, strength, and speed and defeat his foes.
No one has been tapped to direct, but the project is starting with a solid creative choice when it comes to the screenwriter Michael Caleo, whose previous credits include gangster projects like Oscar-winner Jonathan Glazer’s (“Zone of Interest”) “Sexy Beast” and HBO’s acclaimed series “The Sopranos.”
This won’t be the first incarnation of a live-action “Popeye” movie. The late great filmmaker Robert Altman (“The Long Goodbye,” “M.A.S.H. “) and Paramount Pictures teamed up for the infamous 1980 movie that starred a young Robin Williams (“Dead Poets Society”) and Shelly Duvall (“The Shining”) in leading roles. It was one of the first instances where a children’s movie had its lead actor in some extreme makeup prosthetics throughout the entire production, making it a daunting task for Williams’ first film, which was panned by audiences and was a box office bomb but grew into something of a cult status on home video.
More recently, Sony Pictures Animation and innovative animator/director Genndy Tartakovsky (“Primal,” “Samurai Jack”) once attempted to make a feature animated film based on “Popeye.” Still, the project never got past the development and test-footage stage.
Whether modern-day audiences will embrace this seemingly outdated character remains to be seen, but the comic strip character recently celebrated his 95th anniversary, so at least it’s got that going for it.
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