Badee badeeee baddeeee That's all Folks, Harry here... ahem... your resident porky ham-hocked reporter of dread. Remember the days when you were hearing about HARRY POTTER being given to the right people, with reverence and honor being given to the material, casting and development? Remember the days where we were all excited about MATRIX movies? Well... Through it all, we still have Lorenzo and crew in charge at Warner Brothers, so while we get coolness like THE FOUNTAIN and God-Willing KING CONAN: CROWN OF IRON... There are the deflated brain farts pushing dirigibles full of methane fumes from their ears. Yup. Below, you'll see a report from DEVIL DOG about some tests they've seen for the upcoming Looney Tunes/Live Action Flick. In addition to this, I've received many phone calls about the horror that is the script for this project. Phrases like, "Makes Scooby Doo read like Shakespeare!" and "...this will kill all potential dead from these characters," to "This is going to solve the energy crisis in California, all we'll need to do is to attach magnets to Chuck Jones and his grave spinning will power the entire state when this hits!" The phrasing has been extreme... to say the least. I've also heard that Brendan Frasier wanted out, but he ain't getting away. The word is that the script was tossed out last week, and they start shooting this week. Well... Given the word on the Script, that'd be a good thing. I can't rail on this project yet because frankly... I trust Joe Dante. If there is anyone that I trust with a Live Action / Animated Looney Tunes project.... well, I've got 3 or 4 people I'd love to plug for the gig, but Dante is right in there. I've been a fan of his work from the beginning, and he has been on chaotic projects in the past. SMALL SOLDIERS was one that I heard was hell to wrangle, and I thought he did a great job on it. I'm hoping that the spirits of Clampett, Avery and Jones guide him through these troubles. That the overt product placement bullshit is dumped. And that they realize that you do that, not in the film, but in the marketing of the film. The audience doesn't like commercials... built into their movies. Right?
This may not be a huge scoop, but I've seen several animation tests for the new Looney Tunes/Live Action flick, but the most depressing thing is that 3 out of 4 of them have involved some serious product placement, like characters exchanging dialogue about Coca Cola and going to a McDonalds restaurant. Depressingly enough, it looks like Space Jam may have have been the artistic summit that WB cartoons will reach as long as they can reap $$$$$ from product placements. Now thats what I call entertainment.
-Devil Dog
