Israeli Hollywood producer Avi Arad is working on a new film about Popeye, the spinach-gulping sailor.
After the huge success of “Avatar” and “Alice in Wonderland,” the next popular character to be cast in three-dimensional technology will be Popeye the sailor man.
Arad, who is responsible for Hollywood box office hits including “Spiderman,” “Blade,” “X-Men” and “Iron Man” says: “During my childhood in Israel I grew up on short films starring Popeye. When I recently acquired the rights for ‘Popeye, I simply burst into the famous ‘Popeye the Sailor Man’ song.”
Arad wants to introduce the enchanting hero, his beloved Olive Oyl and his nemesis Bluto to a generation unfamiliar with the crusty character.
The animated sailor was created in the United States by cartoonist Elzie Crisler Segar. Following his rise to fame in the 1930s, he began appearing in animated films and numerous TV shows, eventually becoming a popular hero.
In 1980, Robert Altman directed a box office flop in which Robin Williams plays the role of Popeye. Arad’s animated film, however, is expected to do better.