Fun Friday: “Peanuts” To Hit The Big Screen & More
Are you ready to watch the World War I Flying Ace take on the Red Baron … in 3D? Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy Van Pelt, Linus, Schroeder, Peppermint Patty, Woodstock and other beloved characters from Charles Schultz’s “Peanuts” comic strip will soon be making their big-screen debut as Fox has announced plans to develop a “Peanuts” feature film.
The announcement was made at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, which has served as the source for some of the industry’s most surprising news this year. The “Peanuts” film will be a CG-animated endeavor … and in 3D, of course.
“Peanuts” was a syndicated daily and Sunday newspaper comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schultz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000 — just one day after Schultz died at the age of 77. It’s arguably the most influential and popular comic strip of all time, with Schultz being praised for his intelligent, whimsical and at times melancholy portrait of suburban childhood as seen through the eyes of his constantly put-upon but big-hearted protagonist, Charlie Brown.
The series also found much success with a series of spin-off television specials, including “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965) and the impressively dark and foreboding “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” (1966), a parallel narrative of which features Snoopy’s alter ego, the World War I Flying Ace, behind war-torn enemy lines.
The rights to the series have long been unavailable, as Schultz was reluctant to grant film licenses to his characters. The film is scheduled to be released in November 2015 to mark the 65th anniversary of the strip’s debut.
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