This is Real: Grumpy Cat Has Inspired a Feature Film
To date, books, lives, records, songs, board games, video games, and coupons have served as inspirations for cinema (well, all except for the last one, that was just a 'Mr. Show' sketch). But now memes are joining that list as Grumpy Cat, the internet sensation, has been optioned as the subject for a feature film.
This news comes from Deadline, who note that Grumpy Cat's reps (yes, Grumpy Cat has representation) and Broken Road’s Todd Garner and Sean Robins have come together to make a film about the cat. And Broken Road is a real production house, they've produced such films as 'Here Comes the Boom' and 'Jack and Jill,' so this could actually happen. This could be a real thing. Producer Todd Garner had this to say:
This started off as a picture of a cat, but rare is an image that evokes that much comedy, You read all of the memes and the comments, and one is funnier than the next. We think we can build a big family comedy around this character.
Deadline notes that in the movie Grumpy Cat will be able to speak. Yep, a talking cat, like those movies 'Garfield' and 'A Talking Cat!?!' It's unknown if this is just accepted in the world of the film, or if Grumpy Cat is the only cat who can talk but just ends up being grumpy.
To be fair, it would be easy to make jokes about how dumb it is to turn a meme into a film, but sometimes greatness is found in the strangest of starting points. And after the success of the first 'Garfield' and 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' there's evidence that there's an audience for films like this. That said, non-animated talking animal movies are usually terrible.