‘Marvin the Martian’ Gets Director, Mike Myers?

Published by Jeff Leins on: December 22nd, 2009

In May 2008, Warner Bros announced a feature film was being developed based on the Looney Tunes’ character Marvin the Martian.  The live-action/CGI hybrid, scheduled for December 2010, is about how the cartoon alien travels to Earth to steal Christmas, but is foiled when he becomes trapped in a gift box.

The LA Times’ Hero Complex is reporting Alex Zamm has come aboard as the director.  Zamm is behind such gems as Dr. Dolittle 5: Million Dollar Mutts (I kid you not), Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2, and an upcoming adaptation of “Hong Kong Phooey.”  Paul Kaplan and Mark Torgove are re-writing the script (and also working on CHiPs: The Movie).

The team is already talking to stars who’ll add voices to the cartoons, and Mike Myers’ name has popped up as a possibility for Marvin.

Myers isn’t new to voice overs or children’s movies, cashing in his Austin Powers fame for four Shrek movies and The Cat in the Hat.  After the epic failure of The Love Guru, it’s no surprise he’s seeking out more voice work.  The only question is which recycled character will he use this time?

Alcon Entertainment, the company behind fall hit The Blind Side, is producing as part of their pact with distributor Warner Bros.  However, before the Sandra Bullock sensation they were putting together movies about traveling pants, talking zebras, and the much reviled Wicker Man remake starring Nicolas Cage, so there’s cause for even more concern.

Marvin the Martian is one of the more badass characters in the Looney Tunes universe, but it looks like WB is taking this in a conventional, disappointing direction.  Look for us all to learn the true meaning of Christmas through the eyes of a CGI martian in 2011.