I suppose if one has to make a Peanuts movie (and according to the laws of Hollywood, yes – one has to make a Peanuts movie), putting Paul Feig in a leadership role is a step in the right direction. According to Deadline Hollywood, the man behind Bridesmaids, The Heat, and all other things Melissa McCarthy will “produce and oversee” the newest animated feature based on Charles Schulz’ classic comic strip.
For those of you expecting Feig’s involvement to usher in a slew of pooping-in-sink gags and a sequence where Lucy attempts to seduce Linus outside an airplane bathroom, think again. Feig may have been the mastermind behind Bridesmaids, but he was just as mastermind-y with Freaks and Geeks, which remains one of the better portrayals of the high school experience to ever hit the small screen. Feig may have a gross-out sense of humor, but he understands younger characters as well. The latter might mean great things for Peanuts.
Granted, Peanuts will be directed by Steve Martino of Ice Age: Continental Drift and Horton Hears a Who!, which is less than promising. But with Craig Schulz (son of Charles) working on the screenplay, and Feig saying things like this – “Growing up, Peanuts was my Star Wars. Charles Schulz’s characters influenced everything in my career, especially Freaks And Geeks” – it seems the fate of modern Peanuts might actually be in good hands.