Tidbits: Genndy Tartakovsky, Rob Reiner Get New Gigs As Gareth Edwards’ Next Gets A New Title

Apparently everyone and their mother got a new job to start off the work week.

First up, Variety is reporting that iconic animator Genndy Tartakovsky (a favorite of us here at The Criterion Cast) has been tapped to helm Sony’s upcoming 3D animated version of the beloved character known as Popeye. The film’s been in the works for at least a couple of years now, and with his feature debut in the form of Hotel Transylvania hitting this year, also from Sony, Tartakovsky looks to be a hot commodity in Hollywood. And as he should be. The guy has been behind some of the best animated television franchises of this era, and hopefully this film, and Hotel, will be huge hits, because we need an original property from the man who may very well be one of the best animators of his generation.

In other news, Rob Reiner (This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride) has gotten a new gig, in the form of the thriller You Belong To Me. The film is penned by David Murray, and is Reiner’s much awaited return to genre fare, as it will follow a psychiatrist who gets a tad too close to a patient of his. Personally, while I haven’t been a huge fan of Reiner’s recent work, I’m more than a fan of his genre work, so this may be the type of project that he needs to put some new fuel in the tank.

Finally, Monsters helmer Gareth Edwards has gotten a new name for his upcoming project, now lovingly known as Forever. Produced by Timur Bekmambetov (whose worse-than-Battlefield–Earth piece Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is stinking up theaters now), the film is a futuristic epic. Edwards is quite a gifted filmmaker, so while I don’t trust Bekmambetov to produce, my hopes are really quite high for this project. Here’s to hoping.

Source Variety / THR / Bleeding Cool