It's been a long time since we've heard anything about Eric Powell and David Fincher's CG animated feature film adaptation of The Goon, but today I bring you some great news! They've launched a KickStarter campaign with Blur Studios to raise the money to make a Story Reel that will hopefully lead to the movie getting major funding.
It's been a couple years since the test trailer and footage was shown at Comic-Con, and it's great to see they are trying everything they can to get the movie made. They have a goal of getting $400,000, and they are on their way to reaching that!
I have no doubt The Goon will make an incredible movie. I've loved everything I've seen from it, and I'm excited to see that there's now a real chance that it will get made thanks to KickStarter! For those of you who want to help get the movie made and learn more about the project CLICK HERE.
Here are the details from the KickStarter Campaign...
Mobsters. Zombies. Killer robots. Demon priests. Sound like your typical animated film? Didn't think so... now let's get it made!
GOON FANS of the world, grab your beat sticks and chug some hooch... it's time to take on Hollywood!
That's right, this is your chance to help bring everyone's favorite zombie smasher to the big screen! For over 12 years, Eric Powell's comic book "The Goon" has thrilled readers around the globe with its fantastic world of mobsters, zombies, killer robots, giant fish-men, and every outrageous thing in between. The time has come to bring this great comic to theaters!
You might be asking yourself, "I've seen footage of The Goon animated film online... why do they need money? Isn't it already being made?"
The answer to that question is NO. The Goon Film has NEVER been in production. All the work you've seen (animation footage, trailers, artwork, etc.) has been produced independently and out-of-pocket by the creative team of David Fincher, Eric Powell, Blur Studio and Dark Horse Entertainment. We created "proof of concept" footage to show Hollywood the incredible potential of a Goon movie. It was very well received BUT because this movie isn't a sequel or filled with dancing animals we'll need more to bust open the gates and UNLEASH Goon and Franky on Hollywood. And by the freakishly barbarian strength of Aunt Kizzie, we'll find a way to succeed!This is where YOU come in.
The next step of our plan is to begin the filmmaking process by producing afeature length STORY REEL based on Eric Powell's amazing script. (a story reel is a rough edit of storyboards combined with music and sound effects) This will give Hollywood a complete look at the Goon film's potential... from his early life in the carnival to busting heads in the mysterious town with no name. We all know the Goon's incredible story, the over-the-top action, hilarious comedy and genuine heart, but now it's time for Hollywood to experience it as well.
Help us make a NEW KIND of animated film... one that's LOUD, VIOLENT and OFFENSIVE TO YOUR GRANDMA.
Your donations will directly FUND "The Goon" movie STORY REEL. (including vocal performances by Oscar® Nominee Paul Giamatti as "Franky" and Clancy Brown as "The Goon")
DAVID FINCHER ON DISCOVERING "THE GOON"
"I admit it—I came to this party late. Chinatown, and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker was—regrettably—my introduction to The Goon and the incredible world created by Eric Powell. I thank Tim Miller—who snapped me out of my Goonless existence when I was looking for material to possibly make into an animated feature, and he suggested I peruse a copy he had (suspiciously) nearby. Of course I marveled at the characters and was smitten with the mise-en-scene, but it was the language—that uncategorizable: Dead End Kids Meets Abbot and Costello Meet the Mummies—that unlikely Powellian patois that absolutely hooked me. If this is your first time, you are in for a treat—if not, you already know how lucky you are."
WHO WE ARE
BLUR STUDIO is a highly-motivated team of Oscar®-nominated artists located in Venice, CA who've created stunning, story-driven computer-generated work in feature films, commercials, and game cinematics for almost two decades.
Staffed by over a hundred diehard comic fans, we quickly acknowledged the unique vision of "The Goon" and entered a partnership with creator Eric Powell, David Fincher (critically-acclaimed director of Seven, Fight Club, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and Dark Horse Entertainment to bring this great world to theaters.
At Comic-Con 2010, we unveiled our first "proof of concept" trailer, showing fans a slice of what a Goon Film could look like...
"The Goon" Movie Proof of Concept Trailer from Goon Kickstarter on Vimeo.
Risks and Challenges:
Our biggest challenge is simply to create a great story for a film people want to see. Being funny is hard work and sometimes the jokes don't come on schedule. At the big studios they work on reels like this for YEARS--and we know making it great will be a monumental task.
And it takes the right people to achieve greatness--we'll need to identify the best people and add to our team to make this film"blueprint" amazing. There's a lot of talented folks out there but finding the ones that share a passion for the unique world and characters in the Goon is key--it will take time and diligence.
Lastly on the rewards: we will update the production blog as diligently as possible but bear with us with any delays between posting. We want to focus our main efforts on making the storyreel and will update the blog when we can. As for those who pledge enough for the original drawings from Eric--please allow some time to get those done. Eric's got a busy schedule getting the comic itself out to readers.
Thanks for the support and thanks in advance for putting up with any delays we may encounter in delivery. Blur has done a lot of creative work over the years but we've never done anything quite like this before--including the whole rewards thing and it will be a new challenge for us--but we're looking forward to it!