Some remember it more fondly than others, but naysayers will just have to grit their teeth and bear the news that Robert Rodriguez has, after years of coveting, finally acquired the rights to the 80s fantasy animation **Fire and Ice. He's planning a full-blown live-action rejig.
A collaboration between director Ralph Bakshi (Lord of the Rings, Fritz the Cat) and fantasy artist Frank Frazetta (who sadly died last month), the original Fire and Ice was a rotoscoped epic of sword & sorcery action and jiggling cartoon boobs. Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas (Conan the Destroyer) wrote the script, detailing the efforts of the buff Larn and the "mysterious avenger" Darkwolf to save the impractically clad Princess Teegra from the evil Nekron (and his mum) and his sub-human horde.
The idea was to bring Frazetta's iconic oil paintings to life, at which Fire and Ice was only really partially successful (the trailer will give you an idea if you're new here{
Notorious for juggling multiple projects, many of which come and go without amounting to anything, Rod seems confident that this one has legs. "Unlike past projects that I’d get involved with that would get stalled for various reasons, I control the rights to this one. So it’s actually in my power to set it up and get it made," he says. It's a similar set-up to his arrangement with Frank Miller for Sin City, meaning "you can get started sooner rather than never."
He promises Harry Knowles "subhumans and pterodactyl riding barbarians - it's going to be that kind of awesome!" But he stops short of confirming a casting decision for Teegra, with a teasing "stay tuned... you'll get an answer."
We hear Megan Fox is in need of a job. Or if you have any preferences of your own, let us know below. We reckon Fire and Ice will build momentum quite quickly. Stay tuned indeed.