They Found Waldo - He's at Universal

Tuesday

02Jun2009

They Found Waldo - He's at Universal

Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at 1:22AM

Universal passed on making the Tintin movie, even with Spielberg and Peter Jackson. So what indescribably bad move has da U made just a few months later? Adapting another animated book series without two bankable directors. The studio is now bringing Where's Waldo? to theaters, which might showcase a fairly pronounced stupidity.

According to The Hollywood Reporter - which also says that later books in the popular series became "more thematically complex" - the Waldo movie will be live-action, even though the production house behind it, Illumination, is an upstart in the animation game.

Perhaps you're wondering why it took so long to make the movie in the first place. Paramount owned the rights and either didn't love the concept of the story, which was reworked more times than Bruce Jenner's face, or just felt the time had passed. So it sat around for a little while.

But perhaps, instead, you're wondering why Universal would want to make this now. I have no answer for you. Maybe the company really does see value in kiddie books. You couldn't tell by the way Universal basically left The Tale of Despereaux alone in the woods to die last fall. Kid-friendly fare is not the company's strong suit, evidenced by having Coraline as its only entry in that arena this year.

In addition to being an odd choice for a company that targets adults almost exclusively, the timing of the project baffles me. I thought this ship sailed over a decade ago.

Colin Boyd |

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Reader Comments (7)

Uhmmm........what the hell kind of plot could they possibly come up with? I'm afraid to ask that question.....

Tuesday, June 2, 2009 |

Erica

Erica: I know, I know!

A plucky 20 something makes his fortune in tech but realizes that his life is devoid of any true meaning, so he gives it all up to travel the world and do his trademarked happy dance in strange locations only to make millions more by putting up videos of said happy dance on a popular internet website!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009 |

Will

Um...isn't that "Where the Hell is Matt" ?

Tuesday, June 2, 2009 |

Miss Madstone

I don't know anything about that, but I hope they get Nicolas Cage to play Matt Lauer...I mean, uh, Waldo.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009 |

Will

We have this AND a Bazooka Joe movie coming out? Who says Hollywood's out of fresh ideas!?

Tuesday, June 2, 2009 |

mdamien13

This is kinda weird what would the friggin plot be....

I have an idea... FIND HIM AND ASSASSINATE HIM! lol

No that wouldnt work ,wonder if it will be 3-D????

Tuesday, June 2, 2009 |

Sean

Maybe Waldo will be the "villiain" in the Deadpool movie?

Wednesday, June 3, 2009 |

Will

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