Walter Lantz’s famous creation Woody Woodpecker is headed back to theaters.
After decades of no new output, Illumination Entertainment is prepping a new version of the animated character. John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky, who co-wrote the Will Ferrell comedy Blades of Glory, are in talks to develop a story.
Universal would like to develop a franchise based on the character. The studio owns the rights to Woody and his animated friends. Those rights were purchased from Lantz in the mid-80’s.
Woody Woodpecker first appeared in a short in 1940. It was co-created by cartoonist Walter Lantz and voiced, in his initial outings, by Mel Blanc, the future voice of Bugs Bunny. The character was initially rambunctious and brash, a huge hit during World War II-era America, but he mellowed into the ’50s, even developing a love interest and a recurring nemesis Ben Buzzard.
A theme song was introduced in 1947 and was nominated for an Oscar for best song, the only song from a short film ever to be nominated in the category
Illumination and the writers will seek to create a story that modernizes the character, hopefully launching a franchise in the process.
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