Robert Zemeckis Has A New Idea For Roger Rabbit 2
The sequel madness in Hollywood is starting to get out of control. Earlier this week it was revealed that Robert Rodriguez would beproducingaPredatorremake titledPredators, Ridley Scott wasconsideringmaking a prequel toAlien, and that Mirage Studios aredevelopinga live-actionTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesreboot. Russell Brand isremakingDrop Dead Fred. Yesterday Oliver StoneannouncedWall Street 2. Last night we told youabouthow Joe Dante wouldn’t be directing aGremlins 3and how Amy Heckerling may, or may not, be making a sequel toClueless. And now there is talk of aWho Framed Roger Rabbitsequel!
FilmmakerRobert ZemeckistoldMTVthat all the new “digital tools and performance capture” has him “starting to think about” doing anotherRoger Rabbit. Of course, Zemeckis didn’t give any more details, only adding that “new idea” has been “buzzing around in my head.”
The original 1988 film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, four wins. I’m not sure how the new technology would elevate the effect of transplanting 2D animated characters into the real world, but I’m sure it has something to do with performance capture. And I’m sure the result would be a movie that takes place with humans trapped inside of the animated world of Toon Town.
But I actually think that there might be more stories to tell in the Roger Rabbit universe, and I even have some really topical ideas. Like I would like to see how Toon Town has dealt with the invasion of computer animation. I’m sure the 2D cartoon stars have now become “old news”.
Many people don’t know that the first film almost spawned a direct-to-video prequel. Written byNat Mauldin,Roger Rabbit: The ToonPlatoontold the story of a young Roger Rabbit, who meets a struggling Hollywood actress named Jessica while traveling west to find his mother. But when Jessica is kidnapped and forced to make pro-Nazi Germany broadcasts, Roger and his human friend Ritchie Davenport go to Nazi-occupied Europe to save her. The film ended with a huge Hollywood parade where Roger us reunited with his mother, and his father… big reveal… Bugs Bunny. Ugh!
Disney later tried to rework the story without Steven Spielberg.Who Discovered Roger Rabbittold the story of Roger’s “inadvertent rise to stardom on Broadway and Hollywood.” Eight time Academy Award composerAlan Menkenwas even hired on to write five songs for the production, withLooney Toons: Back in ActionhelmerEric Goldbergattached to direct the animation. A test sequence was filmed in 1998 which combined traditional animation, computer animation and live action. Disney wasn’t happy with the results, so they also did a test with all the cartoon characters completely converted to CG. The budget quickly skyrocketed past $100 million, forcing Michael Eisner t pull the plug. It’s probably better for everyone involved that neither films earned a greenlight.
