Sony Pictures Animation is set to bring the classic cartoon series Popeye back to the big screen as a CG-animated 3D feature.
Former Marvel Studios topper Avi Arad is producing the film, with writer Mike Jones in negotiations to write the script, reports Variety.
The rights to the character, created in 1929 by comic strip artist E.C. Segar, are owned by King Features Syndicate.
Sony Pictures Animation will make the film, with sister company Sony Pictures ImageWorks working on the CG.
“As one of the earliest animated characters … Popeye has become one of the most enduring and iconic cartoon characters of all time and indelibly linked to the evolution of animation,” Hannah Minghella, president of production for Sony Pictures Animation, told the trade.
No release date has been set for Popeye, which last was made into a feature film in 1980’s live-action adaptation directed by Robert Altman and starring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall.
