New Popeye movie gets writers

As I reported previously, Popeye will be getting a new comic book series.  Now, the Hollywood Reporter has announced the developing CGI animated Popeye movie for Sony will have a script written by Jay Scherick and David Ronn, who wrote the script for this year's Smurfs movie.

Of the two projects, I am more excited for the comic book series. Not to be cynical, but I think this CGI movie is a disaster waiting to happen.  A CGI animated film was tried a few years ago, albeit direct to DVD, and it wasn't very good. The Popeye characters did not translate well to three-dimensional style CGI animation.  It also didn't help that the script was rather weak, retelling for the countless time of how Popeye searched for and found his long lost Pappy.

How did Sony get the rights to make a Popeye film? Paramount is the studio that has the longest relationship with the Popeye characters and owns the publishing to I'm Popeye The Sailorman.

If you ask me, a new Popeye animated film should be traditional hand drawn animation, done in the Max Fleischer style, with his Stereoptical Process.  The script should be a blend of E.C Segar's adventure storytelling and Fleischer's comedy and music.  If Scherick and Ronn plan on having Popeye dancing to modern pop music, making numerous pop culture quips and, and is more concerned with product placements than plot, then I think this movie may already be DOA.  But what do I know?  I'm just a fan.

Hopefully, Ted Adams and IDW will get Popeye right in the comic books. He tweeted that the creative team will be announced soon, and fans of the Segar Popeye will be happy.