Bugs Bunny is ready for its triumphant return to the big screen. After being part of Space Jam: A New Legacy in 2021 with the rest of the Looney Tunesthe famous rabbit in the world has a new adventure in theaters, this time solo.
Through his official website, the writer and director Robert Rugan revealed that he was hired to write the script for a hybrid live-action and animated film focused solely on Bugs Bunny for Warner Bros. Discovery. Rugan gave no further details, although he did announce that more information is coming soon.
Bugs Bunny, founded in 1930 under the Leon Schlesinger Productions label, which later became Warner Bros. Cartoons has become quite a brand in the animation world and beyond. Originally played by actor and radio personality Mel Blanc, the character has come a long way in pop culture and established himself as a more than prominent face for Warner, especially within all Looney Tunes productions.
Over the years, Bugs has starred in a long list of short films, television episodes, skits, films, specials, and production of all kinds for film and television, and has been an essential face within the franchise to create merchandising. He even has his own comic books. He is the most appearances animated character in history and the ninth most appearances personality in the entire industry.
This year, Warner Bros. Discovery also release a movie centering on two other famous Looney Tunes characters Coyote vs. Acmewith, of course, the return of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.
Warner Bros. Discovery strategy for its largest franchises
Bugs Bunny’s solo film comes as no surprise given the news the David Zaslav-led company has been releasing in recent months. As the CEO has made clear on several occasions, for the future of the studio, they are trying to exploit their great franchises and their classic characters to retain their audience and gain new fans.
Here’s how the new DCU, led by James Gunn and Peter Safran, will feature two of the comic book company’s most popular characters for the first stage: Batman and Superman. They will certainly be joined by Wonder Woman, whom Gunn expressed his intentions to bring to the animated format, and Supergirl, another of the brand’s great heroines.
Harry Potter will also try to shine again, and not with new stories as it did with Fantastic beastsbut with a series adaptation of the original saga by JK Rowling, introducing new versions of Harry, Ron and Hermione to the public.
Zaslav also announced a while ago that they wanted to make new ones Lord of the Rings movies, but no Tolkien-related projects outside of Prime Videos Power rings have been confirmed so far.
Game of Thrones is another great example of the company’s intentions, with not just a second season for it House of the Dragonbut there is now another spin-off in the works that will adapt George RR Martin’s Stories of Dunk and Eggfollowing in the footsteps of a young Aegon Targaryan.