from the latest wizard issue (winter 2007), which had tons of info on properties that are either in the works / are being optioned for future projects (including he-man, g.i.joe, gatchaman, & voltron). so here it is…
[b]Thundercats The Players: Warner Bros. which has owned the rights to the Thundercats since 1989, has optioned a script written by new comer Paul Sopocy, who by day works as an advertising writer at Fox Broadcasting. Jerry O’Flaherty (art director on the video games “Gears of War” and “Unreal Tournament 3”) earns his first directing role with the project.
The Scoop: The script is reportedly an origin story, focusing on team leader Lion-O coming of age as the leader of the Thundercats after their flight from the doomed cat-planet Thundera and their crash-landing on Third Earth. (The villainous sorcerer Mumm-Ra will definitely make an appearance.) Although early reports suggested the film would be live-action, now it looks as though it will be CGI, a la the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot “TMNT.”[/b]
I don’t think everyone should be so negative about the movie being CGI.
We all fell in love with animated ThunderCats, and I for one believe that animation is the best media to tell a ThunderCats story with. In animation, the limitations of telling an epic fantasy/sci-fi story with cat people are practically zero (save for budget). I think we allow ourselves to be immersed in fantasy much more freely in animation as opposed to live action. I would fear a live action version of the ThunderCats far more. The margin for a film with cheezy costumes, bad prothstetics, and fake looking green screen FX is HUGE! It’s not like the movie is going to have a Lord of the Rings budget…it has a script by a marketing guy and is being directed by a video game AD. That said, I still have faith…the newer TMNT movie was actually very well done with great animation and action scenes. AND, most importantly, we all fell in love with ThunderCats as an animated show. If anything, CGI is just being faithful to our beloved cartoon with updated technology.
I rather enjoyed the new TMNT, having been a fan of the original toon in its infancy.
Honestly, I simply do not believe there is enough info/visuals, etc… available in regards to the new Thundercats movie for any of us to make a fair decision on it yet. I’m gonna stay positive.
And there have been plenty of movies made by rather unknown people whom have gone on to be blockbusters (Terminator, Matrix, etc…). Granted they were not CGI but still, on paper, those movies probably looked like they would bomb big time.
Also, CGI is pretty much at its peak now a days, so I assume we should be getting some nicely designed/detailed characters. They want to help “sell” the graphics engine being used for Thundercats, so WB I hope will go all out on visuals.
The storyline is much more important to me though, and this is where I am hoping to be impressed.
