Timothy Harris Writes Astro Boy
Kindergarten Cop, Trading Places Scripter Adapts Anime for Imagi
Imagi announced that veteran scribe Timothy Harris (Twins, Space Jam) will pen the script for their upcoming adaptation of Astro Boy. Movie comes to theatres in 2009.
Timothy Harris will write the script for Imagi Animation/The Weinstein Company's adaptation of the classic anime Astro Boy, the studio announced on February 14th.
Harris has been writing Hollywood scripts for over 30 years. His credits include the 1983 live-action Dan Aykroyd/Eddie Murphy vehicle Trading Places, the partially animated Michael Jordan/Looney Tunes movie Space Jam and the Arnold Schwarzenegger comedies Twins and Kindergarten Cop. He was also a producer on the 1993 Michael Douglas drama Falling Down, which was an official selection at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.
In addition to that, Harris wrote the acclaimed noir crime novels about private investigator Thomas Kyd: Kyd for Hire (1977), Goodnight and Good-Bye (1979) and Unfaithful Servant (2004).
“I am thrilled to have the respected and gifted screenwriter Tim Harris on board," said Cecil Kramer, Imagi's Executive Vice President of Production, in the press release. "His proven track record in writing great entertainment makes him a perfect fit for bringing the timeless saga of Astro Boy, one of the best-known characters in the world, to the big screen.”
“We warmly welcome Tim Harris to our team," added Astro Boy producer Maryann Garger. "I have been a longtime fan of Tim’s writing, and it’s enormously exciting and inspiring to be able to work together on such a grand-scale motion picture as Astro Boy.”
“Astro Boy is a dream animation project," added Timothy Harris to the love-fest. It’s a classic, as timeless as Oliver Twist, set in the most incredible futuristic world. It’s one of those stories that moves you emotionally while being funny and entertaining at the same time.”
Harris will join director David Bowers (Flushed Away) on the project.
Imagi Animation Brings Osamu Tezuka's Robot Boy to Big Screen in 2009
Osamu Tezuka, "the god of manga," created Astro Boy in 1951. Since then, the robot boy has appeared in print, on television and in the movies, becoming one of the most popular cartoon figures in Asia. At times, Astro Boy rivaled Disney's Mickey Mouse for sheer popularity among Asian children.
Here's the film's synopsis, according to Imagi's press release: "Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist to replace the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving father’s expectations, our hero embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the man who had rejected him."
You can see the press release, reprinted by Toon Zone, over here.
Astro Boy will fly into theatres sometime in late 2009.
