Blow me down! It looks like Popeye may be on his way back to the big screen, and with animation master Genndy Tartakovsky at the helm: Avi and Ari Arad are producing it for Sony Animation from a script by David Ronn and Jay Scherick.
Tartakovsky’s HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA is soon to open, his first animated feature after his triumphs on DEXTER’S LABORATORY, SAMURAI JACK and CLONE WARS. We’ve been looking forward to getting Tartakovsky’s big screen vision finally on the big screen for a while: he was once attached to an aborted take on Astro Boy. A full length Samurai Jack movie is also in the works.
As for the pugnacious, spinach fueled Popeye, since debuting in E.C. Segar’s triumphant THIMBLE THEATER comic strip (now available in gorgeous hardcovers from Fantagraphics), he went on to become the star of a Fleischer Bros. animation, and a nearly constant cartoon star for nearly 70 years, with recent appearances in South Park and Family Guy. Of course there’s also the extremely goofy but harmless Robert Altman Popeye musical film.
How did the Arad’s get their hands on this?
Except for the ending, I kind of love the Altman film. It’s definitely leisurely paced, but it grows on you with repeated viewings.
Misread as “Tarkovsky on board for 3D Popeye” and conjured up a whole different film species.
On board for all of that except for the 3D.
You forgot to mention Sym-Bionic Titan.
Rafael: You too, huh?
Sym-Bionic Titan was so good. Tarkovsky just may be the greatest animation storyteller ever.