Direct to DVD Futurama Movie

An anonymous reader writes "In a recent video blog Billy West mentions that a Futurama movie is in production!" From the video: "Good news everyone...there's gonna be a Futurama movie, coming out on DVD, I think we're gonna start doing it soon. There were talks and I guess they're really happy about moving forward with it cuz the DVDs of Futurama sold really well, and then with a possibility of a second one." Already mentioned as a possibility here on Slashdot. He also talks extensively of his new puppet-based project 'Billy Bastard', which will be based on his drunken shenanigans as a band member when he was younger.

Comments

Budget?

[strider44]

I haven't seen the blog but is there any idea as to how big the budget will be for this? Will all the voice actors be returning and will the animation be as complex as in the TV show?

I'm not sure I want a futurama movie in the vein of Starship Troopers 2.

Direct to DVD?

[node 3]

How about Direct to Download?

Futurama is an excellent candidate for a direct to download experiment. It's got geek appeal, has no network time slot, and is an established, legitimate show.

Re:Direct to DVD?

[Atario]

Download may be ambitious for now. But, hell, I'd even be happy if they successfully pioneered the concept of the direct-to-DVD series. If we had had that just a few years ago, MST3K need never have died.

Re:Direct to DVD?

[HyperChicken]

so it would make more sense to provide a movie where the audience is more likely to make use of the service

What kind of weird fantasy world do you live in? FOX isn't providing a service with Futurama. It's a product that is designed to make money. They'll do whatever they can to make the most money from it.

"Direct to download" isn't one of them.

Re:Direct to DVD?

[leenoble_uk]

I can personally guarantee that following its successful release on DVD about 5 months will elapse before it will be broadcast on Fox/Sky/Highest Bidder's station.

This is a well rehearsed tactic in the UK. Coronation Street was the most famous example. ITV made a special one-off video only episode of the long running serial, just in time for Christmas. Then in February or March, they broadcast it on TV. They were sued and had to pay back lots of people who bought the video under the impression that it was the only way they could see it.

Now no-one would now be as stupid to claim that this will never be broadcast on TV. The way I see it all they're doing is swapping around the TV/DVD release dates. This will ensure greater sales of the DVD from devoted fans since none of them will have had the opportunity to see it on TV and record it for themselves (ahem) and then they can just broadcast it anyway and pick up the rest of the DVD sales from not so devoted punters.

Video Blog?

[Orgazmus]

Oh please, say it aint so!

Has the word "blog" infiltrated us so deeply that we have to use it on EVERYTHING?

Direct to DVD...

[ZSpade]

I'm not sure this is a good thing... In the past whenever something went direct to dvd/video, it meant that basically they had produced it on a shoestring budget, for the sole purpose of taking advantage of success from it's prequels... If disney has taught us anything, it's how to run a franchise into the ground. I'm not sure I want futurama's good name ruined in such fashion...

Wooo! Go Bender! Go Bender!

[slackarse]

Here's to hopefully seeing a legendary TV series resurrected with a movie, instead of destroyed by one.

great news... maybe

[rm999]

This is most likely a great thing - futurama, probably the best prime-time cartoon with geek appeal ever is being resurrected. The reasons why I said "most likely":

1. the show was starting to get bad around the end. The jokes were less thought-out, the plots wildy random and inconsistent. This could be because the creators knew the show was going to be cancelled so they stopped trying.

2. Whenever a show is cancelled, the writers and everyone involved go and find other jobs. If this is true, it means that new writers will need to be hired, and the style will likely change (eg. family guy).

3. Futurama was a great show in 22 minute chunks (the length of the average show minus ads), but will this mean it will make a good 2 hour movie? The southpark movie was too long imo at under 1:30 - it just seemed like a long, drawn-out episode. I am worried that the creators of futurama have gotten too used to the 20 minute plot.

4. If the futurama movie is indeed bad, it will dilute its legacy. On the bright side, if it's bad I can ignore it and no loss, but if it's good, I will be very happy.

The good things that may come from this:

1. high quality version of futurama! maybe even wide screen

2. If successful, it *may* bring the show back. Maybe even replace the crapfest that the Simpsons have become.

3. more bender :)

Boondock Saints

[JNighthawk]

Boondock Saints was released straight to video/DVD.

Re:So can you preorder this?

[ne0n]

can you preorder this?

usenet is already taking pre-orders, sadly

Re:Family Guy

[trekstar25]

Absolutely not - as much as I love both shows, you need a plot when you make a movie, something Family Guy, especially these days, can't manage.

However, Futurama is well known for having well constructed, and often very moving plots (see: Jurrassic Bark).