"Medusa" Coming from Sony

"Medusa" from Sony.

"Medusa" Coming from Sony Sony Pictures Animation is a relative newcomer in the big leagues of animation, only being around since 2002. Since that time, though, it has become an industry powerhouse, with the hugely successful "Smurfs" and "Cloud with a Chance of Meatballs" franchises. Sony Pictures Animation is an operating unit of Sony Pictures Digital Productions.

The studio is taking a giant step backward with a just-announced new project - back to ancient Greek mythology. The studio's next big animated project will be an original animated comedy feature by Todd Alcott and Holly Golden entitled "Medusa." The new film will tell an all-new story behind the infamous snake-headed demon from Greek mythology who hilariously turned men who looked upon her into stone. Or at least that is what Sony will attempt to put up on the screen in "Medusa."

Emmy winner Lauren Faust, from "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" in 2010, will direct. Sony Pictures Animation president of production Michelle Raimo Kouyate will supervise, assisted by Jenny Marchick and Daniel Inkeles. Kouyate states,

“After hearing the ingeniously funny pitch from Todd and Holly, we could immediately see the enormous potential in the idea. And when Lauren Faust, a uniquely gifted animation filmmaker with a real talent for relating to audiences, connected with the project, we knew the combination of her vision and their story would create something extraordinary. MEDUSA will be a clever, heartfelt animated comedy about a girl who’s having the ultimate bad hair day.”

Director Faust comments,

“Todd and Holly’s version of the tale of Medusa is filled with so many of my favorite ideas to work with: magic, mythology, humor and strong, funny, extremely relatable characters. I was excited by the idea of showing the comedy behind an otherwise horrific monster, and I was really drawn to the writer’s unique re-imagining of Greek mythology. In our story, we meet Medusa as a young human, who, like so many of us, is overwhelmed with trying to fit a certain mold to please others. Her resulting popularity ticks off the wrong Goddess who turns her into the snake-haired monster we all know and fear. Medusa sets out on a quest to reverse this curse with the help of a goofy team of oddball and misfit mythological creatures who help her learn that what makes you different is, in fact, what makes you strong.”

Todd Allcott is the brains behind the project. He was a co-writer on the 1998 DreamWorks Animation feature hit "Antz." More recently, he worked on the Weinstein Company’s live-action "The Giver," starring Jeff Bridges and directed by Philip Noyce. Golden has a background in reality television production.

We withhold judgment until we see something. However, the project is staffed with tv people, and the idea that Medusa is just a troubled youth gone wrong doesn't sound like the well-spring of epic comedy. No word on any projected completion dates, but it usually takes several years at least to get an animated feature film from initial conception to finished product. There is plenty of time for personnel changes along the way, so in a few years' time this post may seem wack, but that's the information released at the present time.

Media Contact: Olivier Mouroux, Vice President, Publicity & Corporate Communications, Sony Pictures Animation, 310-840-8230, [email protected]

2020