It’s one thing to make a crummy, reprehensible, generally awful live action movie out of a character like Yogi Bear, I liked him but the truth is, Yogi was always kind of ridiculous and it’s not like anyone ever really took him seriously. And ok, if you want to take a big dump on Garfield with whatever that was they put in theaters, I can live with that. But now Bugs Bunny is getting a live action movie and, you have to think these awful yet financially successful (or soon to be financially successful... admit it you're taking your kids to Yogi) turds were their inspiration. But Bugs is an icon, Bugs is legendary, Bugs Bunny was smart and subversive. Bugs does not deserve to be treated like The Smurfs. Nobody has ever really gotten one of these live action cartoon character movies right, but this must be the first one. Come on Hollywood, don’t screw over Bugs.
There is at least a chance it won’t be unbelievably awful. Deadline says WB has hired Elf writer David Berenbaum to craft a live-action Bugs Bunny screenplay. Elf is magical. Elf is everything a Bugs Bunny movie must be. Except, turning Bugs into a credible live-action movie is much harder. At least Elf was about a human. A weird, deluded human, but a human still. How do you make a human-sized bunny work on screen? Unless your movie is called Harvey I have no idea.
WB sort of made it work back in 1996 with Space Jam but that was as much a cartoon as it was a live-action feature. It never truly took Bugs out of the cartoon world. If they’re serious about making this a live-action movie, then that approach just isn’t going to cut it this time. This has to work, or a lot of people are going to be seriously pissed, but how could it work? Berenbaum had better have one hell of an idea. I’m rooting for him, if only so that someone will do a live action Duck Dodgers spinoff. That needs to be done. In the meantime, start fantasy casting Elmer Fudd. Paul Giamatti’s phone is about to start ringing.
