Those Weinstein fellas are surprisingly no strangers to kiddie flicks. The Weinstein Company released Hoodwinked! in 2005, the all-star Shrek-a-like; an anachronistic and satirical telling of the classic fairy tale, “Little Red Riding Hood.” Then in 2006, the company released The Magic Roundabout (released in North America as Doogal), a CGI pic about the adventures of a candy-loving dog. Also in 2006, the Weinsteins released the British-produced Lassie pic to Americans on DVD. And lastly, they were responsible for the 2007 American distribution of that highly memorable pic I’m sure you’ve all seen, Thunderpants, about a boy who is born with two stomachs, thus stricken with uncontrollable and absolutely devastating flatulence. Classic.
According to Variety, the next kiddie flick the Weinsteins are going to handle will be a feature length, live-action musical based on the Jim Henson series Fraggle Rock. Cory Edwards, who also directed Hoodwinked!, will helm the project in addition to writing the screenplay. Ahmet Zappa will exec produce.
The pic will bring back all main puppets form the series (in case you don’t remember: Gogo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red), taking them out of their Fraggle Rock home and into the human world. The show premiered in 1983, ran for five seasons and was broadcast in more than 80 countries.
Edwards is also directing a pic written by Scrubs star Zach Braff titled Andrew Henry’s Meadow, about a boy with a big imagination, to be released this year. The helmer is also developing a live-action adaptation of Cedar Fair’s Halloween Haunt, to be shot in 3-D.
