Sony Cancels Genndy Tartakovsky’s Popeye Movie

Disappointing news for ‘Popeye’ fans: it’s been revealed that Sony won’t be taking Genndy Tartakovsky’s vision any further; after the director clarified he was no longer working on the film.

In an interview with Moviefone, the ‘Hotel Transylvania’ director confirmed the disappointing news, even though initial feedback had been great.

“…we put up a great screening, everybody really liked that sizzle, we got a positive reaction. I was in love with what we were doing, but I think the studio is going through changes and I don’t know if they want to make the Popeye that I want to make. So they’ve got to make a decision…It was hard to let Popeye go, but that’s the business.”

This is no doubt sad news for both Tartakovsky and fans that were looking forward to seeing the Russian’s take on the character, with an impressive test animation uploaded to YouTube back in September, with its popularity was evident, having amassed almost 1.3 million views over the last five months. (Take a look at it here.)

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It’s a shame to see the enthusiasm and dedication in the video now go to waste, with the buzz around the production now extinguished. The animation style in the test is refreshingly different to Disney or Pixar, and more akin to something that emerged in the form of Steven Spielberg’s ‘Tintin’, albeit in a far more cartoon-y way.

In fact, there’s no word that Sony will even re-appoint another director and actually go ahead with the project. There’s also no indication if Tartakovsky will have any continued influence or participation in the project if it does still go ahead, but here’s hoping.

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Picture credit: Sony Pictures