Popeye and his beloved spinach (archives)
Photo: Getty Images Bank
Israeli to introduce Popeye in 3D
Hollywood producer Avi Arad working on new film about spinach-gulping sailor
After the huge success of "Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland", the next popular character to succumb to the three-dimensional technology trend will be Popeye the sailor.
Israeli producer Avi Arad, who is responsible for a number of Hollywood box office hits such as "Spider-Man", "Blade", "X-Men" and "Iron Man", is working on a 3D animated movie about the spinach-gulping character.
"During my childhood in Israel I grew up on short films starring Popeye," Arad says. "When I recently acquired the rights for 'Popeye', I simply burst into the famous 'Popeye the Sailorman' song."
Arad's goal is introduce the enchanting hero, his beloved Olive Oyl and his nemesis Bluto to a generation unfamiliar with Popeye.
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 and became an idolized hero.
In 1980, Robert Altman directed a box office flop in which Robin Williams played the role of Popeye. Arad's animated film, however, is expected to have a better box office performance.
