The last time Popeye hit the big screen, it was back in 1980 with Robin Williams as the iconic sailor man and Robert Altman behind the camera. That ended up a flop, albeit one that went on to become something of a cult, but now Sony hopes to do a little better with a CG ‘toon version of the character.
Unlike The Smurfs, which Sony is also dragging into cinemas, the new Popeye will likely be an all-CG affair, since Sony Pictures Animation is handling the film.
Producer Avi Arad is one of the driving forces behind the film, having been offered the chance to shepherd it by former Marvel man Scot Sassa, who now just happens to work for the company that controls the rights to the spinach-loving hero. "Scott called me and said, 'I have something for you,'" Arad tells Variety. "I literally started singing the famous Popeye song after securing the rights. What always blew me away is the level of the animation. It was so beautiful and unbelievably detailed."
The studio is refusing to release what the plot might be, though it’s reasonable to expect the likes of Popeye’s gangly lady love Olive Oyl, rival Bluto and adopted moppet Swee’Pea will all be part of the story.
Mike Jones, who is negotiating to adapt the script, is clearly a bit of a Popeye-dol worshipper. "I'm an unabashed, lifelong Popeye fan," he says. "Introducing this squinty-eyed sailor to a new generation also means reintroducing him to those who, like me, grew up with him."
Spinach manufacturers, your race to secure that all-important tie-in starts here…