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teaser poster
Popeye is an unproduced film which would've been directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, who directed the the first three Hotel Transylvania films and based on E.C. Segar's comic strip character of the same name.
Cast[]
- Tom Kenny as Popeye
- Grey Griffin as Olive Oyl
- Dee Bradley Baker as Eugene the Jeep
- John DiMaggio as Bluto
- Tress MacNeille as Sea Hag
Development[]
In March 2010, it was reported that Sony Pictures Animation was developing a 3D computer-animated Popeye film, with Avi Arad producing it.[1] In November 2011, Sony Pictures Animation announced that Jay Scherick and David Ronn, the writers of The Smurfs, were writing the screenplay for the film. Bob Osher, president of Sony Pictures Digital Productions said, ”Scherick & Ronn have a remarkable talent in re-energizing beloved characters. As they demonstrated with THE SMURFS, they embrace the iconic characteristics of these timeless characters and craft a story that really engages moviegoers today. We're thrilled that Jay and Dave are helping us reintroduce Popeye to a new generation. Their take on the world of Popeye has just the right blend of comedy, adventure and heart -- all the elements that made a great animated film. Popeye has been my childhood favorite character. To me he was always the everyday man who gets special powers and actually becomes the first superhero in the best meaning of the word. When Scott Sassa called, Ari and I were beyond excited to be working with Jay Scherick & David Ronn and Sony Pictures Animation to bring this iconic character to the big screen in glorious stereoscopic 3D. We enjoy working with the Sony Pictures Animation team and with Rocky and company from Hearst Publishing. I cannot wait to go sailing!”[2] In June 2012, it was reported that Genndy Tartakovsky had been set to direct the feature, which he planned to make "as artful and unrealistic as possible."[3] In November 2012, Sony Pictures Animation set the release date for September 26, 2014.[4] In May 2013, it was pushed back to September 2015. In March 2014, Sony Pictures Animation updated its slate, scheduling the film for September 2016, and announcing Tartakovsky as the director of Hotel Transylvania 2, which he was directing concurrently with Popeye.
In May 2020, it was announced that the project is in development at King Features Syndicate.[5][6]
Pre-Production[]
On September 18, 2014, Tartakovsky revealed an "animation test" footage, about which he said, "The animation test is not a clip, it’s not a trailer, it’s nothing from the actual movie. It’s just something that kind of represents what we want to do. I couldn’t be more excited by how it turned out.”[7]
Cancellation[]
In March 2015, despite the well-received test footage, it was announced that the film would not released in 2016 because Tartakovsky left from working on the project, and would instead direct Can You Imagine?, which was based on his own original idea, but it was scrapped. Tartakovsky said, “Popeye, at least, we put up a great screening, everybody really liked that sizzle, we got a positive reaction. I was in love with what we were doing, but I think the studio is going through changes and I don’t know if they want to make the Popeye that I want to make. So they’ve got to make a decision. Right now, I’m off [Popeye] and moving on to the other one that we soft-announced, which is Can You Imagine? which is an original idea of my own and a very personal story. It was hard to let Popeye go, but that’s the business.“[8] In January 2016, it was announced that T.J. Fixman would write the film.[9]
Video[]
