Over the past several months, fans of the hit cartoon series
Thundercats have had plenty of news and speculation to chew on. First, a possible script for a live-action film was leaked online. This month, it was officially announced that a new
ThunderCats animated series will re-introduced on the Cartoon Network sometime next year. Lastly, images and rumors from the Licensing International Expo currently underway in Las Vegas, Nevada, hint at the reality of a live-action treatment for the property. But is there any validity to this information?
CBM Scooper Clay was able to contact the Warner Bros Press Office yesterday in an effort to bring light to the recent rumors. He was able to find out that a
ThunderCats film is in the process of being made into a motion picture but has not been officially 'green lit' by the studio. With this information I reached out to my source at Warner Bros, who happens to be working the floor of the Licensing Expo. Though he wishes to remain anonymous at this time, he did say,
"It all depends on how well the [animated] series is received. [The studio] is actively working on turning ThunderCats into a film, but it's going to demand a gigantic budget for effects alone. But, yes, it is currently in the pipeline." When I asked if studio representatives are actually peddling the idea of a
ThunderCats film at the Expo, he said,
"We're slowly finding out exactly how marketable the property is as a stand-alone brand. First comes the series, then the movie. As long as it's well received and worth the risk." There you have it, folks. If you're waiting for the day a live-action, or
Avatar-esque,
TunderCats movie hits theaters, you'd better show your support for it now more than ever.
For those of you who aren't aware of the
ThunderCats story line, here's the synopsis: 'ThunderCats follows the adventures of an eponymous team of cat-like humanoid aliens from the planet Thundera. The series pilot begins with the dying Thundera meeting its end, forcing the ThunderCats (a sort of Thunderean nobility) to flee their homeworld. The fleet is attacked by the Thundereans's enemies, the Mutants of Plun-Darr, who destroy all the starships in the "ThunderFleet," but spare the flagship hoping to capture the legendary mystic Sword of Omens they believe is onboard. The sword holds the Eye of Thundera, the source of the ThunderCats' power, which is embedded in the hilt. Though the Mutants damage the flagship, the power of the Eye drives them back, and Lion-O's elderly guardian, Jaga, volunteers to pilot the ship to the safety of the world of "Third Earth"; however, he dies in the process, because the journey to Third Earth took several decades due to damage to their ship. The flagship contains the young Lord of the ThunderCats, Lion-O, as well as the ThunderCats Cheetara, Panthro, Tygra, WilyKit and WilyKat, and Snarf.
When the ThunderCats awake from their suspended animation on Third Earth, Lion-O discovers that his suspension capsule has only slowed his aging, and he is now a child in the body of a man. Together, the ThunderCats and the friendly natives of Third Earth construct the "Cat's Lair," their new home and headquarters, but before long, the Mutants have tracked them down to Third Earth. The intrusion of these two alien races upon the world does not go unnoticed, however - the demonic, mummified sorcerer, Mumm-Ra, recruits the Mutants to aid him in his campaign to acquire the Eye of Thundera and destroy the ThunderCats so that his evil might continue to hold sway over Third Earth.'