THE SMURFS Writers Set to Pen Animated POPEYE Feature Film

An animated feature film version of Popeye has been in the works for a while, but now the project finally has screenwriters (an integral part of every major motion picture). Jay Scherick and David Ronn, who wrote this summer’s feature film take on The Smurfs, have been tapped to pen the script for Popeye, per Heat Vision. Sony Pictures Animation and producer Avi Arad are behind the adaptation, which will be released in 3D. While it’s possible to make a kooky and fun cartoony version of Popeye for modern audiences, Scherick and Ronn’s resume gives me some pause. The duo wrote for the smart sitcom Spin City back in the day, but their recent output includes the Kevin James “comedy” Zookeeper and the infamous Norbit.

Basically what this means is we’re in for something more along the lines of The Smurfs than Rango. While that’s not great news for adult moviegoers, the kids sure seemed to love that Smurfs movie so the little one’s shouldn’t be disappointed. Scherick and Ronn were recently tapped to write a sequel to The Smurfs, and have also written a script for the Baywatch movie. Hit the jump to watch some of the first episode of the Popeye cartoon show.