Well just to let you know that we are not talking about the ‘Harry Potter’ you just thought of!!! This one’s about the 1986 forgettable movie, Troll: The rise of Harry Potter Jr. Is all set to make a comeback, but this time in an animated version and television series. John Carl Buechler, who penned and directed the original film, has agreed to co-produce the full-length 3D animated feature along with Peter Davy.
The original ‘Troll’ film achieved cult status, and based upon its success the studio believed that the timing was right to produce an updated 3D animated version for a whole new generation of filmgoers. The film is already in pre-production. There are a series of animated sequels also in the pipeline along with an animated TV series.
‘Troll’ showcased a titular creature invade a San Francisco apartment on the hunt for a magical ring that can turn him back into human form. The film was shot in Italy in the ‘Stabilimenti Cinematografici Pontini’ studios near Rome.
Academy Award winner Patricia Arquette has been signed for the voice of the witch, and up-and-coming child actor Baxter Bartlett is slated to be the voice of young Harry Potter, Jr. The film is being represented and distributed internationally by London-based SC Films International, a sales, distribution, production and finance company. SC Films International confirmed they are also in final negotiations with 3D animation studios in Canada and China to provide production services for the project. The film is slated for release in early 2017. An animated TV series is also expected to go into production for release next year, and discussions are ongoing with the Harbin ‘Window to Eurasia’ Theme Park in Northern China for a “Troll”-themed venue and branding program based on the film’s characters.
Buechler and Davy do not plan to sue the current Harry Potter franchise for copyright infringement, though Buechler says that, if it weren’t for “family matters,” he might have brought a lawsuit back when J.K. Rowling’s books first came out.“We wanted to make sure that we weren’t going to be accused of plagiarism,” Davy told NBC Los Angeles. While Girardi added, “Even if someone who took it for a while makes it more valuable, that doesn’t take anything away from the fact that this is ours.”
A spokesperson for Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling called Buechler and Davy’s claims “ridiculous” and the studio has released the following statement, “We will vigorously defend our intellectual property rights and challenge any unlawful attempt to capitalize on the extraordinary success of the Harry Potter franchise, as we told the filmmaker’s years ago.”
The mother of the Harry potter series, J.K. Rowling had said that it was during her travel to London from Manchester in 1990, almost seven years ago before the launch of her first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was when the fully formed idea for the young wizard’s story came into her mind.
