I’m not certain a CG-animated Popeye movie, or any Popeye movie for that matter, would be much of a hit with today’s movie-going audience. Yet, Sony Animation seemed to be all aboard to the point they hired Genndy Tartakovsky (Hotel Transylvania) to direct and even released a sizzle reel back in September, offering a first look at the film as you see above. Now, in an interview with Moviefone, Tartakovsky reveals all isn’t well with the film:
Popeye, at least, we put up a great screening, everybody really liked that sizzle, we got a positive reaction. I was in love with what we were doing, but I think the studio is going through changes and I don’t know if they want to make the Popeye that I want to make. So they’ve got to make a decision. Right now, I’m off [Popeye] and moving on to the other one that we soft-announced, which is Can You Imagine? which is an original idea of my own and a very personal story. It was hard to let Popeye go, but that’s the business.
In the sizzle reel, which you can watch below, Tartakovsky says how he feels Popeye was a movie he was “destined to make”, but it seems that destiny was not to be… At least for now, E.C. Segar’s creation will have to wait.
Tartakovsky’s next movie is Hotel Transylvania 2, set for release this September. You can watch the just released teaser trailer here.
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