Woody Woodpecker Movie In Development, Will Be Modernized For A New Audience

Fans of the classic Woody Woodpecker cartoons may soon be able to catch Woody in a new motion picture being created by the Universal-based animation house Illumination Entertainment.

Illumination is the same team behind the hit Despicable Me and they have also been working tirelessly on next years Dr. Suess’ The Lorax.

The Woodpecker movie is reportedly being written by Blades of Glory writers John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky.

A big hit during World War II Woody Woodpecker would spend decades on the big screen (in various shorts) and television where he gained a large following and was even nominated for a 1947 Oscar for “best song” which was the only song ever nominated for a short film.

With Universal purchasing the Woody Woodpcker library of shorts and the rights to the character from Walter Lantz in 1985 it was only a matter of time before they took a shot at bringing the once famous woodpecker to the big screen.

The production staff behind the new movie hopes to modernize the character and create a franchise around Woody Woodpecker and his exploits.

If they ditch the annoying laugh or more likely at least use is sparingly I might give it a chance. Movies these days that simply rely on a patented trademark for a character simply don’t convert well for a new (needed for box office sales) audience, just look at Rocky and Bullwinkle, Yogi Bear, the Flintstones movie and other recent remakes of beloved classics that didn’t bring anything new to the table.

Would you be willing to head out to theaters to see a newly animated Woody Woodpecker movie?

[via THR]