It's the movie you never knew you needed in your life. Netflix have closed a deal for the rights to a stop-motion film about Michael Jackson's pet Chimp, Bubbles. Both throughout his life and since his untimely death in 2009, the King of Pop's life has been a constant source of public fascination across the globe. A mixture of Jackson's reclusive, outlandish lifestyle, allegations of sexual offenses and a starkly unique personality mean that the singer's private goings-on attract nearly as much attention as his immortal contribution to music.
As many will know, a big part of Jackson's personal life was his pet Chimpanzee, Bubbles, and with Jackson's own life having been explored in numerous documentaries and biopics, it's finally his pet monkey's turn in the spotlight. Isaac Adamson's screenplay for Bubbles was singled out for big things back in 2015, featuring on the 'Black List' of the most popular scripts yet to be produced - and this burgeoning reputation has finally resulted in a sale.
According to Deadline, the movie has been snapped up by none other than online streaming giants Netflix. The movie will be a stop-motion feature and be co-directed by Taiki Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) and Mark Gustafson (Fantastic Mr. Fox). On production duties will be a team consisting of Andrew Kortschak, Walter Kortshak, writer Isaac Adamson and Lee Stobby.
The purchase is one of the first to come from the famous Cannes Film Festival and is certainly a departure for Waititi, whose highly-anticipated forthcoming Thor installment will soon become the most high-profile film on the director's resume by quite a margin.
It's certainly easy to be skeptical about Bubbles' chances of success. After all, demand for a movie about Michael Jackson's pet monkey is pretty much non-existent and the concept itself sounds faintly ridiculous. Furthermore, screenwriter Isaac Adamson is relatively little known in the film industry, so it's difficult to know what to expect from his script - despite the high regard it is seemingly held in.
With that said, the movie potentially has a lot going for it. Although Waititi may not have vast experience in stop-motion animation, he does have pedigree in the type of offbeat tone Bubbles will reportedly be employing - thanks to his vampire horror-comedy What We Do In The Shadows. Additionally, his co-director Mark Gustafson is a big name in the world of animation and Netflix didn't become the leading purveyors of online streaming by paying money for a dud. Perhaps there's something to this after all.
NEXT: Every Netflix Original Movie Arriving in 2017
Bubbles is currently without a release date.
Source: Deadline