The Classic Comedy BLAZING SADDLES Is Getting an Animated Reimagining Titled BLAZING SAMURAI
Well, here’s an interesting bit of movie news I never thought I’d be sharing. Mel Brooks’s classic 1974 western comedy Blazing Saddles is getting an animated reimagining titled Blazing Samurai.
Blazing Saddles starred Gene Wilder and Cleavon Little, and while this upcoming animated film is obviously going to be very different in a lot of ways, it sounds like the story it tells will be very similar. But, it will involve a dog becoming the Sheriff of a town of cats.
The movie is being directed by Mark Koetsier, and the story follows Hank, “a loveable mutt with big dreams of becoming a Samurai. When he finds himself with a new job as sheriff of Kakamucho, he also finds he may have bitten off more than he can chew given the town is inhabited solely by cats.”
The voice cast includes Michael Cera, Samuel L. Jackson, Ricky Gervais, George Takei, Michelle Yeoh, Djimon Hounsou, and Mel Brooks.
Executive Producer Adrian Politowski said in a statement:
“We’ve always been passionate about animation and are thrilled to be taking part in Blazing Samurai. The combination of Rob and Mark as outstanding animation creatives, the industry expertise of Aniventure, GFM Animation and Cinesite delivering amazing production value on screen, assembled around such a hilarious action-packed family script will make Blazing Samurai one of the key animated films of 2021.
“With the arrival of COVID-19 across Europe and North America, our team came together to shift our strategy to meet the limitations of the new filmmaking landscape. It was a natural step for us to shift our focus to high-end commercial animation projects. Blazing Samurai is the first of more to come.”
Blazing Productions’ Guy Collins added that the company is “delighted to have Align joining with Aniventure, Cinesite and GFM as additional partners on this project. In the current investment and distribution climate it is vital for the independent production industry to have access from forward thinking companies like Align who are replacing the more traditional bank lenders. The Align team has impressive experience and will be fully engaged with the film’s senior team.”
The project has a budget of $46 million, and it’s currently in CG production with Aniventure at Cinesite’s Montréal and Vancouver facilities. Completion is expected for late summer 2021.
I’m curious to see how this animated film turns out. With Brooks’s involvement in the project, it good to see that it has his blessing.
Source: Deadline