The Weinstein Company has announced that they're getting in on another CG animated feature and it looks to be better than the last. Of course almost anything would be better than Hoodwinked. The Weinstein brothers will be backing Igor, one of the first offerings from a new animation production company, Exodus Film Group. Casting news is beginning to roll out.
Igor is the story of a mad scientist's hunchbacked assistant who is tired of being second. He has aspirations of becoming a mad scientist himself and going on to win the top prize at the annual Evil Science Fair. Igor has a tough road ahead of him. Everyone in his hometown of Malaria who is born with a hunched back is immediately named Igor and sent to Evil Assistant school. Becoming a scientist is absolutely unheard of.
Christian Slater has been cast to play Igor, John Cleese will provide the voice for his evil mad scientist boss Dr. Glickenstein, and Steve Buscemi, hot off doing voice-over work for Charlotte's Web, will lend his vocal talents to the character of Scamper, a wise cracking, super smart bunny rabbit (think Bugs Bunny crossed with The Brain on caffeine).
The premise and art work have the feel of something Tim Burton would be working on, but its coming from an animation production company whose only other project in pre-production is a movie about Paul Bunyan starring Eddie Griffin as Babe the Blue Ox. Yeah. The Weinstein name is on the line, and the question is whether Igor dazzle or bust.
