After two live-action/CGI comedy adventures, everyone’s favorite catGarfieldis heading back to the big screen, only this time, the reboot will be a fullyCG-animated movie. Alcon Entertainment made the announcement today after it secured the exclusive movie rights to the comic strip created byJim Davis.Jim Davisis attached to the movie as an executive producer.
Alcon is hoping to launch a new CG-animated franchise based on thegrumpy felinewho loves lasagna and hates Mondays. No story details have been released at this time. And it’s doubtfulBill Murraywill return to reprise his voice role as Garfield.
The comedian and actor originally took on the role ofGarfieldin the 2004 movie, thinking it was written by one of theCoenbrothers. He would return for the sequelGarfield: A Tale of Two Kittiesin 2006, though he was prone to bad mouthing the movie and the process of being involved with it in the press. Both movies were a hit, the first of which grossed $200 million worldwide. The property has also been a merchandising cash cow for years.
That said, the initial report fromDeadlineclaims newmerchandisebased on the movie could prove to be a challenge. They don’t give a specific reason for that being the case.John Cohen, who produced the recent hitAngry Birds The Movieand theDespicable Mefranchise teamed up with Steven P. Wegner to bringGarfieldto Alcon. They will both serve as producers, alongside Alcon co-CEOs Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove. Bridget McMeel is executive producing alongsideJim Davis. Said Johnson and Kosove said in a joint statement.
“Jim Davis’s creation has been an international sensation for all ages for decades, and we are thrilled to bring an animated Garfield feature to the big screen.”
TheGarfieldcomic strip debuted in June 1978, and follows a lazy cynical cat and his love-lorn owner Jon Arbuckel and fellow pet, Odie the dog. The strip has appeared in over 41 national newspapers and boasts a readership of 260 million.Garfieldholds the current record for being the most widely syndicated comic strip in the world, even beating thePeanuts.
