Variety is reporting that Warner Animation Group (WAG) is working to sign top filmmakers for their upcoming projects.
WAG is apparently in negotiations with Tim Story, director of the upcoming Shaft reboot, to helm a Tom and Jerry animation/live-action hybrid. The studio has already brought Chris Columbus to guide a new animated Scooby-Doo feature.
WAG has been building a respectable repertoire of films since The Lego Movie, their debut project in 2013. Most of those releases have been new properties geared towards a younger audience, such as last month’s Smallfoot. However, Warner Bros has announced plans to revive older, iconic characters in the coming years.
Alongside Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry, a hybrid Wile E. Coyote vs. ACME film from Chris McKay is in the works. The studio is also moving forward with a sequel to Space Jam starring Lebron James and the Looney Tunes. Film projects based on The Flinstones and The Jetsons are also in development at WAG.
Warner Bros is looking to put as much of an emphasis on these iconic characters as they have put on their DC/Harry Potter properties in recent years.
The only release date announced is a tentative early-2020 release for Scooby-Doo. Tom and Jerry, Wile E. Coyote vs. ACME, and Space Jam 2 will all likely enter production sometime during 2019.
