Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Captain Underpants!
Based on the series of children’s novels written by Dave Pikey, Captain Underpants is now transitioning to the big screen for all to see. If you’re not familiar with the books, then let me fill you in. Fourth graders George Beard (Kevin Hart) and Harold Hutchins (Thomas Middleditch), run their very own comic book company called Treehouse Comix Inc, in which they write stories based on their creation, Captain Underpants. Selling issues around the school playground, the pair usually find themselves in trouble by the mean old principal Mr Krupp (Ed Helms). One day however their creation accidentally becomes a reality when Mr. Krupp is hypnotized by the couple of class clowns and eventually gains superpowers from drinking alien juices.
Got it? Yeah, pretty crazy. Having frequently caused controversy due to ‘encouraging children to disobey authority’ and referencing a character as being gay, this should be an interesting adaption that promises to be unique from the usual family films. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, director David Soren had the following to say:
“[Helms] has managed to tap into the sheer stupidity of Captain Underpants. He’s a delusional superhero who thinks he’s got all kinds of powers and has literally zero ability beyond just that of a middle-aged man.”
Here’s the first picture:
With a dozen books to choose from, the filmmakers had plenty of characters to pick from when it came to the main antagonist. They decided however, on the nefarious Professor Poopypants who’ll be voiced by Nick Kroll. Director David Soren then went onto explain his reasons for picking that particular villain:
“I mean, with a name like that, he’s kind of irresistible.”
He then added how the books are known for their genre-bending style in which the film will play homage to that by switching between traditional CG animation and other media such as sock puppets and hand-drawn 2D comic scenes.
“The lovely thing is that we have two creative boys at the center of this thing, so anything they dream up really is something we can just lean into heavily,” Soren says. “It constantly keeps the story feeling like it’s been made by two fourth graders, as opposed to me.”
Captain Underpants is scheduled to hit theaters on June 2, 2017.
Have you ever read Captain Underpants? What’s your favourite book from the series? Sound off down below!
Source: Entertainment Weekly