Update: And here's the first teaser for PEANUTS! What do you think?
Original: Don't have high hopes for the upcoming PEANUTS movie? I feel the same way. Most of the recent big screen versions of older comics/cartoons have been pretty terrible, and while your kids may have loved them, there's only so many times you can watch UNDERDOG or THE SMURFS films before you develop a drinking problem.
Fox has released the first two images from PEANUTS, and I have to say they do make me feel a little better about the project. Although it's kind of hard to f*ck up Charles M. Schulz's original designs for the characters, I'm glad Blue Sky decided not to mess with how Charlie Brown and Snoopy look for their new film.
Check them out, you blockhead!
Not sold on images alone? Craig Schulz (one of Charles Schulz's sons) and Paul Feig are producing PEANUTS with Steve Martino (ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT, HORTON HEARS A WHO!) directing, and they made a few comments about the film to USA Today recently that should make most Peanuts fans very happy.
We'll start with Craig Schulz, who says he's very protective of his fathers' comics.
"I'm way more protective than my father would have been. Our No. 1 goal was always to be authentic to his work and legacy."
Not much is known about the plot for PEANUTS, but Schulz does say Charlie Brown's crush the "Little Red-Haired Girl" will appear in the new movie, and Steve Martino says, "We're going to fly with Snoopy in his fantasy world. We have a bigger canvas. Bill Melendez got Snoopy off the ground in the TV specials. We're going to take it a step further."
However, the best comment might be from Paul Feig. He says the new movie will have the same "sweet optimism" as the original comics and cartoons, and promises fans won't have to worry about seeing any of their favorite characters twerking or doing something else equally ridiculous in PEANUTS.
"Snoopy will not be rapping, no one will be twerking, we're in good hands."
A teaser trailer should be debuting soon, and I'm much more interested in seeing it now then I was before reading these comments. After checking out what the fimmakers have to say about their new movie, I feel a bit more optimistic about the film, and I think there's a chance we might end up with a very solid new PEANUTS flick.
PEANUTS will be in theaters on November 6th, 2015.