Vicky the Viking Goes Live-Action
Germany's premiere helmer Michael "Bully" Herbig is set to transform the Japanese-German animated series VICKY THE VIKING into a live-action feature, reports VARIETY.
The original animated series was based on a Swedish children's book by Runer Jonsson and was produced by Japanese animation studio Zuiyo Enterprise Co., which has since become Nippon Animation. The series debuted in Germany and Austria in 1974.
The story follows Vicky, the weakling son of the Chief of the Viking village Flake, who always saves the day, not with his brawn, but with his brains.
Christian Becker (THE WAVE) of Rat Pack Filmproduktion, which is a division of Constantin Film, is co-producing with Herbig via his HerbX Film.
Constantin plans to release the film in 2009.
Herbig's last film was the animated LISSI, a spoof of the popular 1950s SISSI trilogy, which followed a 19th-century Bavarian princess as she became the empress of Austria. Herbig's last three films have grossed $190 million, making him the most successful German director working today.