The Pink Panther rides again!

Let me tell you a tale of Young Tars: When I was a wee lad I had a Pink Panther stuffed animal. As I was crazy about Pink Panther, this stuffed animal saw a bit of wear and tear, and after a few years was looking pretty worn. So I did what any kid with a fistfull of birthday cash would do, I bought a new one! But I never got rid of the old Pink Panther, so they became brothers. The new one was the cool one, of course, but they were bros just the same. So on that derail you can imagine I’m happy that there will be a new Pink Panther film that’s about the Pink Panther cartoon.

What’s weird about the film is it is being described as a live-action/CGI hybrid that takes place in the same universe as the Inspector Clouseau character from the Pink Panther films. As we all know, the Pink Panther cartoon originally appeared in the opening credits of 1963’s The Pink Panther, and went on to star in an Academy Award winning short and subsequent series of cartoons in theaters and on television.

The character doesn’t speak and is usually accompanied by a cool jazz soundtrack (which I admit is probably my first exposure to jazz), and before this was not considered a part of the live action film universe (that I understand.) But that will change as the Pink Panther will leap to life to help solve an international jewel heist, despite not talking. And Inspector Clouseau will be referenced.

This sounds so weird, but it is being directed by David Silverman, a longtime veteran of The Simpsons who also directed The Simpsons Movie, and it’s going to be written by another Simpsons vet, Michael Price. This sounds like a project that will be a lot of fun and done by creators who know how to make an entertaining spectacle. And hopefully there will be some cool jazz, because I don’t think I can handle Pink Panther slinking around to dubstep.

via THR