Adam Wingard confirms his ThunderCats movie is still in active development

Three years ago, back when director Adam Wingard’s Godzilla vs. Kong was released, it was announced that the filmmaker would be making a movie based on the classic animated series ThunderCats (which originally ran from 1985 to 1989), with his approach being to make it a live action / CGI animation hybrid, as he couldn’t imagine hiring actors to just play the ThunderCats in makeup. Then Wingard got caught up in the production of Godzilla x Kong: A New Empire, which is set to reach theatres on March 29th – but during an interview with io9, he confirmed that he hasn’t left the ThunderCats behind. That project is still in active development.

Wingard said, “Simon [Barrett] and I are still actively working on the script. We finished our last draft basically right when I was going into production on [Godzilla x Kong] and we just had to put everything on hold. [But] right now we’re actively working on it again. So whether that means that’s the next thing I do or [not], I’m not sure. But it’s definitely one of the top priorities I have right now in terms of working on a script.“

Wingard and Barrett – who also contributed to the Godzilla x Kong screenplay – have previously worked together on A Horrible Way to Die, You’re Next, The Guest, and Blair Witch, among other projects. They’re also developing a sequel to the John Woo / Nicolas Cage / John Travolta action classic Face/Off.

When Wingard’s ThunderCats was first announced, the director explained that ThunderCats is a dream project for him, as he is longtime fan of the property. He even said he spent his entire tenth grade year writing a ThunderCats screenplay that wound up being 272 pages long.

If you’re not familiar with ThunderCats, here’s some information on the original show from Wikipedia: ThunderCats follows the adventures of the eponymous team of heroes, cat-like humanoid aliens on a planet called Third Earth. The series plot begins with the dying planet Thundera meeting its end, forcing the ThunderCats (a sort of Thunderean nobility) to flee their homeworld. The fleet is attacked by the Thundereans’ enemies, the Mutants of Plun-Darr, who destroy most of the starships in the “ThunderFleet”, but spare the flagship hoping to capture the legendary mystic Sword of Omens they believe is on board. The sword holds the Eye of Thundera, the source of the ThunderCats’ power, which is embedded in the hilt. Though the Mutants damage the flagship, the power of the Eye drives them back. The damage to the ship means the journey to their original destination is not possible, instead having to journey to “Third Earth”, which will take much longer than they had anticipated. The eldest of the ThunderCats, Jaga, volunteers to pilot the ship while the others sleep in capsules. However, he dies of old age in the process, but not before ensuring they will reach their destination safely. The flagship contains the young Lord of the ThunderCats, Lion-O, as well as the ThunderCats Cheetara, Panthro, Tygra, WilyKit and WilyKat, and Snarf. When the ThunderCats awaken from their suspended animation on Third Earth after ten “galacto-years”, Lion-O discovers that his suspension capsule has slowed, rather than stopped, his aging. He has now become essentially a child in the body of an adult. Together, the ThunderCats and the friendly natives of Third Earth construct the “Cat’s Lair”, their new home and headquarters, but before long, the Mutants have tracked them down to Third Earth. The intrusion of these two alien races upon the world does not go unnoticed, however, as a demonic, mummified sorcerer calling himself Mumm-Ra recruits the Mutants to aid him in his campaign to acquire the Eye of Thundera and destroy the ThunderCats so that his evil may continue to hold sway over Third Earth.

Are you a fan of ThunderCats, and are you interested in seeing what Adam Wingard will do with the film adaptation? Let us know by leaving a comment below.