In recent years, the Looney Tunes have seen a revival that a new generation has certainly become attached too. An all-new cartoon series has kicked off on Cartoon Network, new Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons have played in front of multiple features and the old cartoons have even found their way to both television once more & Blu-Ray.
Still, it’s been nearly ten years since the cast of lovable characters had their own feature film on the big screen whileSpace Jam has left a legacy for the better part of nearly two decades. Now, the renewed interest in Looney Tunes has seemingly received Hollywood’s attention and a new project has been put into place to bring them back into a starring role.
THR reports that SNL vet and accomplished comedic actress/writer Jenny Slate has been hired by Warner Brothers to write the script for a Looney Tunes reboot that blends live action with CG once more. David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith (Dark Shadows) will be producing the film along with Harry Potter‘s David Heyman and his partner Jeffrey Clifford.
Details on Slate’s story are currently being kept under lock and key, but the concept of a “reboot” certainly sounds interesting. It’s very certain that like 2003′s Looney Tunes: Back in Action, the upcoming feature film will be a stand-alone tale that has no connection to any previous theatrical outing. With a blend of live-action yet again, it’s likely that the film will look to break the fourth wall with certain jokes but it’s unclear exactly what will bring the animated creatures back into our world.
1996′s Space Jam managed to gross $230 million worldwide on a $90 million budget. Back in Action, however, underperformed with only a $20 million domestic gross and a total intake of $68 million worldwide.
This is Slate’s first major screenplay after her one year stint onSNL, one-woman show at UCB Theater in New York, the stop motion animated web shorts Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, a children’s book deal to expand the Marcel story and finally voice roles in The Lorax & Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked. With a story in place now, it’s likely production could begin sometime next year for a release in late 2014 at the earliest.
