Popeye the sailor man is headed to the big screen, and he's got an esteemed cartoon director to take him there.
We've already seen the live action take on the beloved "sailor man with the spinach can" in Robin Williams' and Robert Altman's 1980 flick, but now "Samurai Jack" creator Genndy Tartakovsky is going tell the story with his own particular brand of animation. Variety is reporting that Sony has hired Tartakovsky to develop and direct a planned 3D take on the familiar story.
Tartakovsky just wrapped his first feature film, "Hotel Transylvania," which is due in theaters later this year. But he's already made a name for himself on Cartoon Network through shows like "The Cartoon Cartoon Show," "Dexter's Laboratory," "Star Wars: Clone Wars" and, most memorably, "Samurai Jack."
The shows don't have much in common thematically, but they do showcase Tartakovsky's specific animation style. He's all sharp edges and strange, exaggerated shapes (just look at "Dexter's Laboratory" to see what we're talking about). That style can be found in "Hotel Transylvania," though it's tempered a bit. We bet the same can be said about this "Popeye" movie, so don't be surprised if the title character doesn't look exactly the same as you're used to.
In addition to "Popeye," Tartakovsky is also working on a "Samurai Jack" film. "Popeye" first appeared in the "Thimble Theater" comic strip way back in 1929, and has gone on to inspire a beloved series of animated shorts and the previously mentioned live action film. David Ronn and Jay Scherick are attached to pen this movie's script.
Are you excited about a new animated "Popeye" movie? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!
