Boop-Oop-a-Doop... kill!
Winnie-the-Pooh, Peter Pan, Bambi, Popeye, Mouses Mickey and Minnie... and now Betty Boop! As the public domain adaptations continue to roll on, the iconic '30s 'toon is the latest beloved character to get the low-budget horror treatment.
Deadline reports that BOOP is headed to the American Film Market via VMI Worldwide. Directed by Jared Cohn and written by Josh Ridgway, the project will star Katisha Shaw, Spencer Breslin, Eva Hamilton, Colton Tran, and Devanny Pinn as Betty.
The movie is described as a “re-imagining of 1930s cartoon icon Betty Boop but told through a genre lens.”
The synopsis reads: "A team of horror podcast investigators [who] break into an abandoned theater to discover the hauntings of the starlet once known as Boop. A simple investigation turns into a horrific blood bath as they fight to escape the murderous Boop, as she is out for revenge."
A caricature of a Jazz Age flapper, Miss Boop first appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. She was later featured in numerous theatrical cartoons between 1930 and 1939, and has also been the focus of comic strips and prolific mass merchandising, as well as two television specials in the 1980s. Boop! The Musical debuted on Broadway earlier this year.
“Getting your classic cartoon told as a horror film is still mind-blowing, but what sets Boop apart from all the other horror IPs is her motivation,” Jessica Russo, COO of VMI, said in a statement. “Boop’s dark history is extremely grim, but this telling allows her to get her power back. A true testament to feminism led by a predominantly female team.”
Jarrett Furst added: “When I learned this cartoon was entering the public domain, I knew there was something special waiting to happen. This team—brimming with extraordinary talent both in front of and behind the camera—absolutely blew me away. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Get ready for a wildly violent, ridiculously fun ride… and trust me, this is only the beginning.”
Despite being an animated character, Betty Boop is viewed as one of the very first sex symbols. She was mostly popular with adult audiences, and many of the cartoons contained sexual and psychological elements, particularly in the 1932 "Talkartoon" Minnie the Moocher (1932), featuring Cab Calloway and his orchestra.
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