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A teaser trailer released today shows the first sneak peek of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang in their upcoming feature-length film. The characters last appeared in a feature-length film in 1980's Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown. Craig Schulz, one of creator Charles Schulz's sons, will produce the new movie.
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"[A new movie] is long overdue," Schulz says. "The fans have been asking for a long time, but we held off until the time was right."
The producer says his father's death in 2000 put a temporary hold on future films. He and his family have taken a cautious approach to new projects without Charles at the helm, and intend to protect the integrity of the characters his father created.
"I'm way more protective than my father would have been," Schulz continues. "Our number one goal was always to be authentic to his work and legacy."
Craig Schulz's own son, Bryan, will co-write the screenplay for the film. "With my father's work, this is three generations of Schulzes on this film," Schulz says.
The new movie will employ 3-D technology, a move that may shock some viewers. Schulz believes his father would have "embraced the technology," however, and says "it brings you closer into the comic strip." Producer Paul Feig adds that the 3-D effects will be "effortless" and will retain the original material's "sweet optimism."
Ice Age: Continental Drift director Steve Martino will direct the upcoming film. Martino previously adapted Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who! for film in 2008.
"Charlie Brown is the guy who picks himself up after every fall and tries again," Martino says. "That's what is powerful to me. These characters are known and loved worldwide, and now we have an opportunity to bring them to a new generation."
The teaser trailer, released today, features a peek at the new Charlie Brown and Snoopy. The trailer opens with the iconic music from 2001: A Space Odyssey and transforms into the Peanuts theme song.
[USA Today]
