The animation arm of Sony Pictures has been developing a Popeye movie for almost six years now but has made little headway. In 2011, the studio tapped Jay Scherick and David Ronn (The Smurfs, Norbit) to write the 3D film and brought on Genndy Tartakovsky in 2012 to direct. Despite his strong test footage, Tartakovsky’s vision was reportedly not modern enough for Sony and the two parted ways last March, when it seemed the project would be shelved. But Sony appears to be trying once again to unmoor the film, as Deadline reports that T.J. Fixman (the upcoming Ratchet & Clank) is attached to write the new movie.
There’s still no word on when production will begin for the new Popeye movie, but Sony is reportedly making it a priority thanks in part to Fixman’s rise in popularity as a screenwriter. And the former Insomniac Games scribe has been on a bit of a tear lately: His script for the “CIA thriller,” Men Who Kill, was picked up by Fox last year, with Michael B. Jordan and Greg Berlanti set to star and produce the film, respectively. His One Night On The Hudson project was recently bought by Universal Pictures, and the studio has already cast Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day to star in the Seth Gordon-directed comedy.