3-D, CG POPEYE Am What it Am

I know I’m in the minority on this one.  No, not that that headline is perfect grammar, which it aren’t, but the belief that Robert Altman’s 1980, live action version of POPEYE starring Robin Williams is a fine, funny, enjoyable film.  Paul Dooley plays Wimpy, people.  How can you go wrong with that?

Of course, that’s not stopping Sony from taking the property and making their own CG and 3-D version of the spinach-swallowing sailorman.  Variety is reporting Avi Arad is on board as producer on the new POPEYE film and Mike Jones is punching out the screenplay.

In case you haven’t heard of Jones, he got a special thanks credit on BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, something that probably still doesn’t make him a household name.  He picked up the POPEYE gig based on a screenplay he wrote titled THE MINOTAUR TAKES A CIGARETTE BREAK, which, if that is a literal title, sounds like an amazing film.

Says Jones about coming on board POPEYE:

I’m an unabashed, lifelong Popeye fan.  Introducing this squinty-eyed sailor to a new generation also means reintroducing him to those who, like me, grew up with him.

POPEYE will be set up at Sony Pictures Animation who are also developing THE SMURFS film for 2011.  No word on a director as yet, but I’m guessing someone of Altman’s talents won’t be on board this time around.