Thundercats -- HO!
Filed under: Action, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Warner Brothers, Fandom, Scripts, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
Usually Hollywood waits until a movie's a hit to pounce on everything similar. Transformers hasn't even come out yet, and already just about every 80's toy and cartoon is being violently dragged back into the public eye. I just told you about the dueling scripts for G.I. Joe, He-Man is in the works, and now we've got another show I didn't watch headed for the big screen -- Thundercats. (Seriously, how did I miss all of this stuff as a child? Mom?). Pot-fueled discussions I've heard at parties are now becoming actual films. "Duuude, you know what show was awesome? Thundercats!" Paul Sopocy wrote the script for the live-action feature film, which will be released by Warner Brothers. Thundercats focuses on "a group of humanoid cats (with feline names like Lion-O, Tygra, Panthro and Cheetara) who must flee their planet of Thundera after it's destroyed. Once crash-landing on another planet, Third Earth, they must thwart Mumm-Ra, an evil sorcerer bent on killing them off." Oh. So that's why I didn't watch it!
Sopocy's script will be an origin story, and will "expand on the major heroes and villains from the animated series." The plot will center on Lion-O's coming of age and eventual ascent to the leader of the Thundercats. No word on possible cameos from Heathcliff and Garfield, or whether or not the film will feature Andrew Lloyd Webber musical numbers. Who do you guys see getting cast in this thing? G.I. Joe's a little easier to call, and the success of 300 should make actors a little less wary about hopping into the He-Man wardrobe. But can you think of any major stars who wouldn't mind dressing up in a cat costume? I have a feeling Pacino won't be on the call sheet. What are your feelings on a Thundercats movie? Will it be a meow-sterpiece or a cat-astrophe? If I said I thought it'd be purr-fect, I'd be lion to you! Want me to stop? I'll stop.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-06-2007 @ 3:43PM
Brant said...
Sorry Warner Bros, but you'll never top this masterpiece:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_4Ju6ZqKPU
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6-06-2007 @ 3:50PM
RP said...
OK, here's my take:
Make a reasonably faithful, serious adaptation, but with Jack Black in a homemade Snarf outfit (with no size-scaling wizardry).
You got yourself a smash.
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6-06-2007 @ 3:58PM
Curt said...
I was thinking Verne troyer for Snarf...
Sam Jackson for Panthro.
Uma Thurman for Cheetara.
Josh Hartnett for Tygra.
Chris Walken as Mumm-Ra.
Johnny Depp as Lion-O (only because everyone wants to cast him in everything... plus he'd do a good job)
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6-06-2007 @ 5:29PM
bgdc said...
-Panthro - Ving Rhames or Wesley Snipes (Pantro was a bad brotha, not a mousy weakling like Sam Jackson).
-Tygra - Jeremy Irons/Willem Dafoe. It's gotta be someone with some mystique and a voice that has an unusual quality.
- Cheetara - Uma (she actually has the same body, just without the fur). Rebecca Romijn would work too but she's got the whole X-men deal.
- Lion-o - Jake Gyllenhaal. Must be young, buff and a decent actor.
- Kit and Kat - comedy relief so maybe Michael Cera/Alia Shawcat.
My fiancee and I have discussed this before. But I guess we're odd as we liked the show.
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6-06-2007 @ 10:07PM
Chris said...
Who cares who they cast? I want to know where the Silverhawks movie is! Yah, now that I've said it, it must come to pass.
Soon the after-school cartoons will be bled dry (still got Bravestarr I think, and then they'll move on to Saturday morning. Smurfs live action? Snorks?
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6-06-2007 @ 11:10PM
kaitlin hess said...
I always thought Christian Bale looked like Lion-O.
I think Jessica Biel would make a great Cheetara...she has that buff bod!
I agree with the Ving Rhames choice. How about Heath Ledger or James Marsden as Tigra? I know now he is suppose to be young, but i always looked at him as older than Lion-o.
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6-07-2007 @ 4:48AM
Messy said...
This was an hour long conversation at a barbeque just last weekend. The only one we could agree on was Jessica Alba for Cheetara, an obvious winner we thought. And Vin Diesel for Panthro - maybe?
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6-07-2007 @ 7:16AM
Pat Casey said...
I used to watch this when my kids were young & I loved it. So I can't wait for them to bring it back so I can watch it with my grandkids.
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6-07-2007 @ 9:39AM
Matt said...
What happened to Robotech. With the transformers movie coming out you'd think someone would want to cash in on the similar transforming f-14s of Robotech. Plus it would be just awesome!
Also wasn't Starblazers going to be made into a live action film. WTF happened to that? Cinematical please find out for me. Thanks.
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6-07-2007 @ 11:37AM
mendelini said...
This is how it all happens:
http://panic.mendelini.com/how-to-sow-and-tend-to-your-summer-blockbuster-cash-cow/
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6-07-2007 @ 4:03PM
M. Kemper Brown said...
The only knowledge of Thundercats is that my old friend Mike (unsuccessfully) tried to make "Thundercats, Ho!" a cheer within our group of friends.
How could they possibly do this movie live action without it getting laughed off the screen? Do the Thundercats interact with humans or just other (non-thunder) cats? Eitherway I think it will be a might silly.
The casting speculation is hilarious, though. Keep it coming. The mental image of Ving Rhame's fat ass squeasing into a cat suit will keep me chuckling for days.
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6-07-2007 @ 8:52PM
Jessica said...
I read on variety.com that this is going to be CGI ?? WTF ?? Don't mke that msitake make this movie into a live action!
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6-07-2007 @ 11:01PM
Robotech_Master said...
For what it's worth, the Harmony Gold reps whom I've interviewed on my podcast, Space Station Liberty, have said that they'll be watching how the live-action Transformers does before they even think about the possibility of a live-action Robotech. If it does well, it means there might well be a nascent live-action nostalgia market they could tap into. If not, no point in throwing their good money after someone else's bad.
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6-07-2007 @ 11:02PM
Chris Meadows said...
For some reason the URL of my podcast didn't come through right, so here it is alone:
http://terrania.us/liberty/
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6-08-2007 @ 7:53PM
Sally said...
hey guys, this film is definitely going to be CGI animation, no actors.
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6-11-2007 @ 9:27AM
ML said...
Holy cats!
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6-11-2007 @ 12:11PM
Paul Clarke said...
Well. What can I say. This news is, of course, wonderfull to Thundercat hard-core fans like myslef. But can this work?. As long as they dont change anything, as long as they stay faithful to the classic serise and if posible get all the old actors who provided the voices, Larry Kenney [Lion-O] then I dont see why this wont work. However if, for what ever reason they cant get the old team togther then just make sure the new voices fit the charcthers and pay tribute to one of the best TV shows ever produced.
Its not going to be an easy job to undertake. There are alot of us fans who are/will remain faitfull to the good old days [they really were good times]. So not only do they need to win over a new generation for this to work but also keep fans like myslef happy. But as long as they get the casting right, the stroy nice and simple and dont leave out any of the old charcthers or change the shows histroy, if they stick to those rules I think it will be fine and one of the best movies of all time. Heres hoping. I wish them all the luck on the world. THUNDER, THUNDER THUNDERCATS HOOOOOO
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6-19-2007 @ 4:50PM
Melvin Perry said...
This will only be a big hit if they can keep Tim Curry as Mumm-Ra. He was the perfect voice actor for that character.
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8-06-2007 @ 8:08AM
sblackgolf said...
It should be live action and released on june 2009 in memory of ted wolf the creator (10 years years)!
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