Robert Rodriguez has been tapped to direct the live-action version of Ralph Bakshi’s Fire And Ice with hopes of a franchise. This marks a reunion of sorts for Rodriguez and Sony as El Mariachi (the film that launched his career) was picked up by Columbia Pictures, a division of the entertainment company, back in 1992.
According to Variety, the original 1983 Fire And Ice used the process of rotoscoping to trace live action into animation cells. It was based on the works of animator Frank Frazetta and centered on a small village destroyed by a surging glacier, the domain for the evil Ice Lord, Nekron. The lone survivor, a young warrior by the name of Larn, vows to avenge the destruction and a tense and epic battle ensue.
Bold Films’ Gary Michael Walters, Matthew Rhodes and Michel Litvak have funded the development drafts with Rodriguez. Bold is currently on a roll, with films like Whiplash and Nightcrawler both receiving critical acclaim and Oscar buzz.
Rodriguez’s newly announced project is being called an homage to Frazetta. Rodriguez was a longtime friend of the artist, who created legendary illustrations on works like Conan The Barbarian and Princess Of Mars.
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