Sony Finds a New Writer for Its 'Popeye'

Deadline reports that Sony hired T.J. Fixman to write the Popeye movie. The project had been up in the air since the departure of Genndy Tartakovsky (Hotel Transylvania, Star Wars: Clone Wars) from the project earlier this year, but it seems Sony Pictures Animation still wants to move forward with it.

Tartakovsky's 'Popeye' Likely Cancelled

When the first teaser of Hotel Transylvania 2 premiered yesterday also came an interview between the director Genndy Tartakovski and Moviefone; and it brings bad tidings regarding the Popeye movie, which appears to be up in the air.

Sony Pushes Genndy Tartakovsky's Popeye Back to 2015

Sony Pictures Animation had a profitable 2012, with the financial success of Hotel Transyvania. The film was also very enjoyable though (our review here), not so much due to the somewhat derivative characters and story, but rather because of the inherent sense of fun and the wonderfully stylised CG orchestrated by Dexter's Lab creator Genndy Tartakovsky. Although Sony are moving ahead with a sequel to that film, Tartakovsky won't be at the helm, as he's instead shepherding the studio's CG reimagining of the gravel-voiced, spinach-stomaching sailor man, Popeye.

Hotel Transylvania 2 Officially in the Works - Due 2015

In a move that won't please the critics, but will satisfy kids and other fans alike - and probably already has Sony execs drooling - The Hollywood Reporter tells us that Sony Pictures Animation are officially working on Hotel Transylvania 2.

The project, which is very early on in development, is tentatively scheduled for a 25th September, 2015 release. Considering that the first film took seven years to make, three is a significant improvement! That said, it took Hotel Transylvania a long time to find Genndy Tartakovsky as its director, and 2's going to be without the Dexter's Lab creator. Tartakovsky is working on Popeye (now due on 26th September, 2014) for Sony at the moment, so Hotel T 2 will have to find a new director.

Hotel Transylvania's been a big hit for the studio (its highest grossing fully-animated film in fact - although it bows to CG/live-action mash-up The Smurfs' $563.7 million gross), having taken about $253.6 million worldwide, so, a sequel makes sense. The first film was good enough, I'm not overly-eager to see a second, but so long as it replicates the original's formula of light-hearted gags and unpretentiousness, it should be fun.

Related posts:

• Hotel Transylvania Review - Frightfully Frivolous But Fairly Fun
• Sony to Release Hotel Transylvania Short Goodnight, Mr. Foot
• Interview: Pete Oswald, Vis. Dev. Artist on Hotel Transylvania and ParaNorman

Interview: Marcelo Vignali, Production Designer on Hotel Transylvania

Marcelo with Hotel Transylvania's vocal lead, Adam Sandler.

Last Friday, I had the chance to speak to Marcelo Vignali, the production designer on Hotel Transylvania, the latest film from Sony Pictures Animation. The Genndy Tartakovsky directed film is getting a lukewarm critical response, but is going down a treat with audiences everywhere, who are very receptive to its fun, cartoony style. Hotel T is playing now in the US and Canada, and opened here in the UK today!

I'd like to thank Lauren Woosey at Titan Books for putting me in contact with Sony in the first place and her constant kindness; I'd also like to extend huge thanks to Olivier Mouroux and Kyle Rapone at the Sony Pictures Animation PR team for setting the whole thing up and being so accommodating and friendly.

Of course, I also want to thank Marcelo. One thing I've been astounded at when doing these interviews is how kind and down-to-earth everyone is. Marcelo made a point of asking me about my own life, and acted very modestly, while displaying huge enthusiasm for the film and his work. Not to mention he's a really talented guy! Topics covered in our exclusive interview include his role on Hotel T and thoughts on the film, working around the many directorial changes, working with Genndy Tartakovsky, the film's visual and animation styles, animation at Sony and the future.

Genndy Tartakovsky Reddit Recap: Samurai Jack Movie, Hotel Transylvania and New Powerpuff Girls Series!

Genndy Tartakovsky is a busy man. He's just wrapped on Hotel Transylvania for Sony, which he's now hard at work promoting, he's also working on a CG Popeye film for them, trying to get his planned Samurai Jack film off the ground, and much more that we don't even know about yet! But he still found time to answer questions from rabid fans on Reddit on 27th September.

Questions answered by the very talented Mr. Tartakovsky encompassed everything from working on Hotel T, to his planned Samurai Jack movie, to, excitingly, even a new series of The Powerpuff Girls on the way! Check out our belated coverage of the event which happened the day before Hotel T came out, after the jump break.

Poster for Sony's Popeye

With Hotel Transylvania now in cinemas in the US, and arriving in UK cinemas on the 12th, both director Genndy Tartakovsky and Sony Pictures Animation begin to look to the future, and that's this. Sony and the Dexter's Lab creator are working on a CG adaptation of Popeye!

The most well known version of the character being the Fleischers' shorts, Genndy and Sony are going to have an uphill battle adapting it for the big screen. But, given how wonderfully cartoony Hotel T looks, it might well be just the right pairing to make it happen.

Check out a poster that Cartoon Brew's Jerry Beck snapped at SPA's HQ last week. It's a good start! No release date as of yet.

Genndy Tartakovsky Talks About Coming Aboard Hotel Transylvania

Sony Pictures Animation's latest film, Hotel Transylvania, directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, is almost upon us. But it wasn't always directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. If you've followed the production of Sony's latest, you'll know it's been a troubled one; Tartakovsky is actually the sixth director to try his hand on the troubled film, one that thankfully seems to have got the job done. The Samurai Jack creator spoke to the LA Times about coming onto production this late on, the hostilities he faced, and the film in general.

Check out some interesting points, courtesy of the LA Times, after the jump break.

Classic Cartoons #10 - Popeye the Sailor

Our last Classic Cartoon was Superman, AKA The Mad Scientist, the first in the critically revered Superman short film series from Fleischer Studios. The Superman shorts were the Fleischers' last hurrah, as, despite critical adulation and an Academy Award nomination for the first in the series, the high budget meant that the Fleischers soon ran out of funds, and Paramount, their financiers and distributors, soon ran out of patience. Amidst personal squabbles between brothers, Max and Dave, Paramount acquired the Fleischer Studios, and fired the brothers, renaming it Famous Studios in 1942.

However, the Fleischers had experienced much success prior to this. In their heyday, Fleischer Studios was the most significant competitor to Walt Disney and his cartoons. In fact, at one time, one of the Fleischers' series eclipsed Disney and Mickey Mouse in terms of popularity: Popeye the Sailor. Based on the Thimble Theatre comic strip, the Popeye cartoons were huge successes and inspired popular culture for years to come.

The first appearance of Popeye - as well as his love-interest, Olive Oyl, and his nemesis, Bluto - was actually in this Betty Boop cartoon from 1933. Indicative of things to come though, Boop was merely a cameo, whereas Popeye was the focus. Popeye would later get his series of theatrical cartoons - starting with I Yam What I Yam later that year - and the famous theme song, the outdated - but wonderful and hilarious - rubber hose animation and the beloved characters made Popeye the Sailor, both today's Classic Cartoon and the series it spawned, huge hits.

Don't forget, as well, that Sony Pictures Animation are moving ahead with a CG Popeye film, directed by Hotel Transylvania helmer, Genndy Tartakovsky.

Genndy Tartakovsky Set to Direct CG Popeye for Sony

Sony Pictures Animation are clearly taken with what Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky is doing with Hotel Transylvania, as Variety reports that he has been re-enlisted to direct a computer animated Popeye film!

The script for Popeye will be penned by David Ronn and Jay Scherick (The Smurfs) with Avi and Ari Arad's Arad Productions producing. Tartakovsky will start full-time on the project when Hotel Transylvania (released 28th September, US and 12th October, UK) is wrapped, and when he's finished on his long-in-production feature adaptation of Samurai Jack, the cult-hit series he created for Cartoon Network.

The spinach-consuming sailor has been adapted for the screen before, but never particularly successfully, and Sony look to change that with a 3D version of the well-known character. Between this and Illumination Entertainment's planned Woody Woodpecker feature, older characters are getting a lot of love at the moment.


Via Cartoon Brew.