Samurai Jack: The Feature Film Is Coming

The folks behind Frederator are stepping up to produce feature length animated movies. On their first development slate are a number of interesting projects - not least a Samurai Jack feature film. Of course, Genndy Tartakovsky is attached to write and direct.

Notice how there hasn't been any Dark Crystal sequel news of late? Last time it was rumoured to have ground to a halt the Hensons swore blind that it hadn't, but.... maybe their definition of a halt is different to everybody else's? Don't be surprised to see the Samurai Jack film in release before Power of the Dark Crystal.

Other Frederator films are set to include a stop motion film version of Doug TenNapel's The Neverhood videogame, written and directed by TenNapel himself, and The Seven Deadly Sins (again?!?) featuring hip-hop music and designs and, amusingly, Don King amongst the voice cast.

Curiously, a completely different line-up of movies is listed on the Frederator homepage: The Fairly Odd Parents, Super Santa, The Electric Piper, Globehunters and Crash Nebula. What's to become of these?

The plan is to budget each Frederator film below 20 million to allow some risk taking. We could be looking at some very exciting films here.

Power Of The Dark Crystal Canned

I've been told, and I believe what I was told, that The Power of the Dark Crystal has been canned. Genndy Tartakovsky had been deep in preproduction on the film for a good while - at least two years, I'm told - but now, the film has officially been plaed 'on hiatus'.

Unofficially, however, it looks like the film will never be completed. Any chance of a book a concept art at least? Who knows.

The Henson Company have yet to comment. At least they have three more, very promising sounding, films in the offing (Look to the comments on that entry for the source of this story).