After spawning a Saturday-morning cartoon series and a sequel starring a young George Clooney, the hit 1978 independent film Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! settled into life as a cult classic to be sought out on DVD. Now the property is set to make a comeback on the big screen with help from the creative forces behind the internet phenomenon ‘Ask a Ninja’ (www.askaninja.com). Kent Nichols and Douglas Sarine have been brought on to helm the project for producer M. Dal Walton III, who acquired remake rights from Killer Tomato Ent. Inc.
‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! is the masterwork of a generation. We can only aspire to recapture that magic,’ says Nichols, who will make his feature film directorial debut with the remake. He and Sarine have become hot commodities since Ask a Ninja attracted more than 80 million web views and garnered a number of awards, including Best Series of 2006 at the YouTube Video Awards.
Created by filmmakers John DeBello, Costa Dillon and Steve Peace, the original Killer Tomatoes produced a total of three sequels and the animated series AKT, which helped launch the Fox Kid’s Network. The film was admired for its low-budget gags, which included some stop-motion animation and oversized tomatoes rolling across parking lots on visible skateboard wheels. The modern update will most likely make use of more high-tech tools, including CG animation and animatronics. Walton has brought Emmett/Furla Films, a wholly owned subsidiary of Family Room Ent., on board to co-produce.
