In 1954 a cartoonist called Brad Anderson created a newspaper comic strip called Marmaduke, about a Great Dane who lives with a family called the Winslows. The titled canine character has also made several cartoon appearances in the likes of the Heathcliff and in an episode of Garfield and Friends.
Well it seems Hollywood has latched onto the character as one of a dying breed of “not yet adapted” creations and is adapting it for the big-screen. Fox has signed director Tom Dey (Shanghia Noon, Failure To Launch) to direct the film.
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Fox declined to release any details about the project, including whether it will be animated, live-action, CGI (or a combination of those), since it’s still in the very early stages of development. However since there’s going to be a sequel to the live-action/CGI Alvin and the Chipmunks, I wouldn’t be surprised if they employ the same technique here.
I have vague memories of the still on-going comic strip Marmaduke, but not enough to say whether or not a big-screen version is entirely warranted. All I know is films mixing humans with animals isn’t an easy thing to pull off well, and one can only hope they find a workable way to do it this time (remember Garfield, and of course the mentioned Alvin and the Chipmunks – yeah, that didn’t work out so well, did it?).
So, Marmaduke movie: Good idea or yet another example of a creative vacuum in Hollywood?
Source: TheHollywoodReporter
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7 Comments
I just breathed a HUGE sigh of relief about this project.
Seriously though, you’re talking to a guy who used to read the daily comics in the paper for YEARS. But after seeing Garfield (which is my favorite), I’m not that excited for this.
BUT… I’d love to see bill waterson do an official Calvin and Hobbes cartoon.
heath
I agree Heath. I would LOVE to see Calvin and Hobbes make a comeback since it is easily my favorite strip of all time. Let’s be thankful that he kept all the rights to it and that some studio isn’t bastardizing his creations.
Marmaduke will be a flop. I said it here first.
Here, here, Andy S. I’d love to also see a Foxtrot cartoon.
Marmaduke ?? don’t bother , say I.
I would , however looooooooooove to see Calvin and Hobbes as an animated feature ; that could be a lot of fun.
Spread the word , people !! C & H deserve a shot !!!
Sadly, Watterson is unlikely to ever create an animated Calvin adventure, whether for big or small screens. Although I also feel Calvin would be ideal for television specials the way Peanuts did, especially in Watterson’s hands, he’s become something of a recluse, preferring to live an anonymous life. Actually, even during the strip’s run, he rarely gave an interview or spoke publicly.
Pity though, his work remains the pinnacle of the medium of sequential art in the modern age.
I have the complete Calvin & Hobbes and my wife and I laugh so hard at those characters tears stream down our faces..We read them all the time and it is such a great strip that it is really one of the best of all time!!
Hasn’t Marmaduke been done already on the big screen with The Mystery Machine and Fred, Velma, Daphine, and Shaggy..no wait?
Watterson pretty much worked his frustrations and childhood traumas off with Calvin & Hobbes.
Just check out the shift of tone from the start of the series to its end! It became more and more bitter and aggressive! (Funny too, but that’s the only way to deal with it.)
No wonder he has no interest in a franchise – it’s a part of his personal life and there’s also lots of criticism on our society in it.
Similar in some ways to Kafka and Alan Moore.
ZAR.
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