Singer and comedian "Weird Al" Yankovic has signed a deal
with Cartoon Network to develop a live action made for TV movie. Yankovic broke
the news on his
personal blog, and Cartoon Network confirmed it was developing a project
with him to B&C.
"It needs to be fine-tuned a bit more and it hasn't been
officially green-lit yet, but it's gotten some very positive buzz at the
network," Yankovic wrote.
The protagonist of the film will be a teenager, with
Yankovic having a supporting or guest role. Assuming it gets picked up, he
would also direct the project, though the earliest it could shoot would be fall
2010, because of his tour schedule.
Cartoon Network has been making an aggressive push into live
action fare. While it's live action series have been hit or miss, the network
is hoping its live action scripted series can help give the network credibility
and expand its presence in the genre. The films can also work as backdoor
pilots, with series pickups possible depending on their success with viewers.
For the most part the live action protagonists have been teens or tweens, as
was the case with Cartoon's popular Ben 10 franchise.
Yankovic is no stranger to Turner, having appeared as "Uncle
Muscles" on Adult Swim's Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job! He also
wrote and starred in the film Al's Brain in 3D, as well as the 1989 film
UHF.
