A Kickstarter campaign is underway to fund Planet Orson, a stop-motion animated feature film from screenwriter Jared Egol.
Planet Orson is inspired by the Hasbro-owned Transformers universe. This planned movie is a non-commercial fan-made production and its creator is quick to point out that it is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with Hasbro, Inc.
According to the filmmaker, Planet Orson “retells the story of the final days of the singular genius of the great Orson Welles as he simultaneously tries to make amends to his daughter, raise a film fund from an unforgiving and malicious Hollywood, and voice a sentient planet in an animated movie starring transforming toys. But spurred by existential anxiety, Orson imagines the toys themselves as the judgmental documentarians of his incredible life as his mind slips into madness.”
The film will touch upon Welles’ storied past. “It was always about telling Welles THROUGH the ’80s cartoon, never otherwise,” Egol said in a tweet.
Egol’s screenplay was described as “a tour de force” by Good Will Hunting producer Su Armstrong, and it received an 8/10 score on The Black List. The unfilmed script also won the Best Screenplay Award at the 2023 Beaufort International Film Festival.
The crowdfunding campaign has set a goal of $36,000 and raised more than $6,000 in its opening hours.
The Florida-based Egol is a self-proclaimed fan of both Transformer toys and Welles. He is joined by executive producer Eric Calderon, co-producer Andy Painter and Open The Portal animation studio with music by Czarface.
Those interested in learning more can visit kickstarter.com/projects/planetorson/planet-orson
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