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Ron Howard & David Koepp Teaming Up for Big Screen 'Spy vs. Spy'

by Ethan Anderton
June 22, 2011
Source: Deadline

In the days when "Mad TV" was competing with "Saturday Night Live," the former would counter the latter's cartoons by Robert Smigel with the animated battles of Spy vs. Spy. Of course, for decades before that show even premiered, the cartoon was a staple of Mad Magazine. Now Deadline reports that the classic back-and-forth between our black and white rivals will be heading to the big screen in the form of a live-action film which Ron Howard will direct. Honestly, I would've thought they would go the animated route with this property, but apparently this will be a very physical and "highly visual" action comedy.

In addition, Jurassic Park and Spider-Man writer David Koepp will produce the film along with Howard and oversee the script which will be written by John Kamps (who is also writing that Formula 1 racing film Rush for Howard which we heard about yesterday). Basically, I see this being something akin to a live-action version of Despicable Me with a lot of slapstick humor since the cartoon themselves were very similar to the rivalry between other toons like Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd or Tom and Jerry. In addition, I'm betting the film will end being geared slightly more towards families as well, which will be no surprise coming from the director who gave us How the Grinch Stole Christmas back in 2000.

However, it actually sounds like this project is a long ways off anyway, with the Formula One flick Rush being the next likely project for Howard, and Dark Tower hopefully coming together early next year. Still the prospect is interesting to say the least, and I look forward to seeing how it moves through development.

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