Although I don’t think we should get our hopes up too much at the moment, there could be something interesting going on over at Disney, with Gary K Wolf – screenwriter of Roger Rabbit – suggesting that a movie that teams Roger with Mickey Mouse is in the works.
Wolf revealed the news on his site, pretending to be a ‘source’ known as ‘Walter Windchill,’ saying that Disney is considering making a 3D animated remake of the 1952 comedy classic The Stooge. Although he doesn’t specifically say it will be a mix of animation and live action, it’s more than possible.
Here’s what Wolf had to say: ‘The movie is called The Stooge. It will be based on the classic Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movie of the same name. The story has the emotional empathy and sensibilities of Wall-E and Toy Story. It will be a (G) Rated Pixar type animated musical buddy comedy. Mickey takes on the Dean Martin role, Roger, who is already regarded as a comic genius in France, takes the Jerry Lewis part.
‘The film incorporates five specific locations from the Disneyland park. It also introduces the Toon Train, an exciting and interesting way to travel through Toontown.
‘The film features real-life people. Walt Disney costars. Orson Welles makes an appearance.
‘The packaged Development Proposal is currently being evaluated by Disney and Pixar. Meetings are happening! Directors and writers are being evaluated.’
The original Stooge saw Dean Martin as a Broadway performer who finds success with a new vaudville act, although it is mainly because of the “stooge” (Jerry Lewis) he hires, who captures most of the spotlight.
As it’s just a development proposal, it’s a very long way from becoming a movie, but it sounds like a good idea. Both Mickey and Roger are in danger of slipping down the ranks of pop culture relevance, so bringing them back to the big screen could be a smart move on Disney’s part. However at the moment we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
As you can see above, Wolf also released a development poster.