DreamWorks' 'Oobermind' Now Called 'Megamind'

Who knows where it came from exactly, but Oobermind, a title that at least sounds like a quirky bit of fun, has been replaced by the more starched-shirt Megamind. It seems minor, and that's the point. Why would you quibble over half the title? Change the animated supervillain flick to something else completely, but to make such a cosmetic switch makes me think there are too many boardroom meetings going on with this one. The name change comes as THQ and DreamWorks announce a gaming contract for the property and the rest of the movie studio's line, a new bit of business Slashfilm caught wind of. There's no explanation for the change, but it's not the first one: Robert Downey dropped out of the project and was replaced by Will Ferrell. Bit of a step back, that, as is this wholly uncreative name change. Here's the official synopsis, as featured in the announcement:

"When super villain MegaMind (Ferrell) defeats his archrival Metro Man (Brad Pitt), the world should be his oyster. But instead, MegaMind falls into total despair. It turns out that life without a rival is life without a point for him. So, he creates a new superhero rival, Titan (Jonah Hill). Unfortunately, the new hero wants to be a super villain, too. Caught in the middle, star reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey) asks the tough questions: Who can we turn to? Who has what it takes to stand up to this menace? Who will defend the innocent? MegaMind! That's who."

I had such high hopes for this, but it's starting to feel tinkered with and kneaded by the executives. And, my, what a fun environment that usually is.

Comments

[Michael]

I'm writing this a couple months after the name change, and MegaMind has grown on me. It's the name they should have chosen to begin with (instead of MasterMind and OoberMind). Similarity to the name Mega Man aside, the plot to this sounds really original actually and I'm excited. The villain wins! Then he becomes the hero! So many aspects to this scenario...and Tina Fey rocks.