Hopalong Cassidy Returns to the Screen
Bill "Hopalong" Cassidy is getting the big screen treatment from Mark Canton (300) and Pterodactyl Prods. according to Variety.
The beloved tough cowboy was originally created by Clarence E. Mulford in 1904 and he was a popular staple in fiction before being portrayed on screen by William Boyd. He portrayed the cowpuncher in 66 short films between the 1930s and 1950s. There was also a long-running radio show in addition to comic books.
The comics were initially produced by Fawcett for 84 issues with Dan Spiegel producing a lot of the artwork. When Fawcett ceased publishing, the rights were acquired by DC Comics in 1954 for an additional 50 issues. Editor Julie Schwartz used his regulars on the feature including writer John Broome and artists Gil Kane, Bernard Sachs, and Joe Giella. The title featured Gene Colan’s first work for the company and he did a long stretch of the title.
There hasn’t been a significant new cowboy hero introduced in decades but suddenly both The Lone Ranger and Hopalong Cassidy are headed for the silver screen once more. Earlier this fall, Jerry Bruckheimer surprised the world with word he was producing a new Ranger film with Johnny Depp on board as Tonto.
"These stories tend to come around again," Canton told the trade. "We’re looking to ring in the modern age with a branded, well-loved hero that we approach in a fresh way," Canton added.
So who gets the money for the rights? Mulford's estate, or Boyd's? Boyd owned the TV rights to the films he appeared in; he agreed to work for scale – apparentky he could have asked fo rmore – in return for television rights. The studio, thinking that TV rights woule never amount to much, agreed.And when TV started getting big, and they had Saturday hours to fill for kids to watch, there was William with a package of 66 short films ready to go…Some of the DC Hoppy stories were relettered and reprinted in DC Western titles later.Louis l'Amour wrote three Hoppy novels as work-for-hire, though for years he apparently even denied to his family that he had; they were reissued under his own name a few years back. They're not bad, but they are formulaic potboilers.Wish i still had my Hopalong Cassidy watch from when i was six or seven.
Wait… what?They mention Johnny Depp as… Tonto? in the new Lone Ranger movie? Really? We can't, you know, get a more authentic actor in that slot? If you want Johnny Depp attached just for his audience draw, fine; make him the bad guy, or some other supporting character. I'm not trying to be overly PC here, but come on. In this day and age, there's no reason to not get an actual Native American actor in that role.
What? Tobto and Hopalong Cassidy? It was The Lonsome Stranger and Pronto,wasn't it? They should get a REAL Native American to play Tonto, like Lou Diamond Phllips.
It was Tonto and the Lone Ranger, not Tonto and Hopalong Cassidy. I KNOW. I watched them as a kid at the movies in the 40's and 50's.(I'M OLD)!(65)!