Although this is probably one of those project Robert Rodriguez will play with for years, getting fans all excited, while never actually making it, AICN is reporting that after years of coveting the property, Robert Rodriguez has bought the rights to the 1980s fantasy animation, Fire and Ice, and is planning a big, live-action remake.
The original was a collaboration between artist Frank Franzetti (who sadly died last month) and Fritz The Cat creator Ralph Bakshi, with the idea essentially being to bring Franzetti’s fantasy oil paintings to life, using rotocoped animation (live action with the animation essentially drawn over the top). The film is a daring mix of sword, scorcery and animated boobs, with a young warrior called Larn seeking revenge for the destruction of his village by the evil Ice Lord, Nekron. Larn then goes off on a quest to rescue the princess Teegra after she’s kidnapped by one of Nekron’s underlings.
Rodriguez says about his Fire and Ice remake, ‘The awesome Ralph Bakshi and I have been working it out for a while, and its now a Troublemake Studios Picture. Whats cool is, unlike past projects that Id get involved with that would get stalled for various reasons, I control the rights to this one. So its actually in my power to set it up and get it made, which wasnt the case on other projects. And for you filmmakers out there, thats really the best way to get things done. If you can manage to get the rights yourself to a property by dealing directly with the artists and creators like I did with Frank Miller on Sin City, and now with Ralph Bakshi on Fire and Ice, it makes a world of difference and you can get started sooner rather than never.’
The stalled projects he’s talking about include his previous attempt at sword and sorcery, Red Sonja, which never got past the starting gate (although there are still plans for a remake without Rodriguez attached). Hopefully this time the movie will have a smoother path to the screen. Take a look at the trailer for the original Fire and Ice below.