For the longest time, I couldn't quite get a clear answer on this picture.
Peter Rabbit, an adaptation of the century-old classic book by Beatrix Potter, is a live-action/CG hybrid that I thought was going to be a Sony Animation film. Some places said that was so, others didn't say anything. It appears that the picture, directed by Will Gluck of Easy A fame, is going to be a collaboration between Animal Logic (The Lego Movie, Happy Feet, fx for several blockbusters), Olive Bridge, and Sony Pictures.
It also now has a bit of a cast... And a pretty impressive one at that. James Corden will voice the titular rabbit, Rose Byrne will portray a live-action character named Bea, an all-new character based on Potter. Daisy Ridley and Elizabeth Debicki are set to provide voices. It's currently set to open on March 23, 2018, though Deadline and Variety say April 2018. Easter occurs on the 1st of that year, but Peter Rabbit isn't an Easter story so a slight push back in the US would not surprise me. Actually, Peter Rabbit's release date is the same day Blue Sky plans to open Anubis, but with their Ferdinand being pushed to Christmas 2017, I'm kind of doubting that Anubis will open in the first quarter of 2018.
Anyways, production's going to fire up soon. I can only imagine how they'll pull this one off. This appears to be the very first theatrical full-length feature based on the book, as previous adaptations were either TV shows or TV movies. Walt Disney had actually thought about adapting the books into an animated feature back in 1938, and asked Potter if he could adapt them, to which she said no. Apparently she did so because she didn't think her own illustrations would work on the big screen! Other accounts say it was a problem with marketing.
Either way, it seems like it'll be going the Paddington route rather than being an all-animated Sony Animation production. It sounds like it could be decent, because under Sony Animation, I would've had no idea where they would take it. Perhaps when it's released, they'll bill it as a Sony Animation film like they did with Goosebumps last year.
What say you?
No comments:
Post a Comment