[ad_1]
Courtesy image
Popeye returns to the big screen.
The iconic sailor and spinach chugger, who first appeared in comic strips in the late 1920s, will be the subject of a new live-action film from Chernin Entertainment and King Features.
The project is currently in development as a big-budget film and features screenwriter Michael Caleo (“Sexy Beast,” “The Family,” “The Sopranos”). This is the first live-action reboot of the character since the 1980 film “Popeye,” directed by Robin Williams. Directed by Robert Altman and co-starring Shelley Duvall as the sailor’s quirky love interest, Olive Oyl, the film was criticized upon its release, but has since gained cult status and critical reconsideration. It was also profitable, released by Paramount Pictures with a budget of $20 million before grossing approximately $60 million worldwide.
Popeye celebrated his 95th anniversary this year, after appearing in the 1929 comic “Thimble Theatre.” The character spawned animated films and series in its heyday, and could be one of the first models of mass marketing across several generations. Two years ago, Popeye was called a key inspiration for Moschino’s men’s collections, Supreme and A Taking Ape. Popeye remains the face of McCall Farms spinach (in the cartoons, the vegetable offers the sailor superpowers to defeat his enemies), which carries Popeye’s logo and face on canned products.
Some devoted fans (which Popeye still has) put together a series of self made This year’s movie trailers, all fictional, have racked up millions of combined views. These trailers Let’s imagine the character as a shipwrecked warrior with Dwayne Johnson proportions, which may well be the direction this is headed creatively. The producers are in the process of securing a studio partner.