Comicbook hero Lucky Luke will ride onto the bigscreen in TOUS A L'OUEST, which will be produced by Xilam, Dargaud-Marina and Lucky Comics, reports VARIETY. Fall 2007 is set for the films release. With a budget of e12 million ($14.4 million), the flick will be directed by Olivier Jean-Marie from a script by him and Jean-Francois Henry.
Loosely based on the comic THE CARAVAN, the feature will follow cowboy Luke and his talking horse Jolly Jumper as they pit themselves against their long-time enemies the hapless Dalton brothers in 19th century America.
A third of the film will be financed through foreign pre-sales, which have occurred in Germany, Benelux, Eastern Europe, Portugal and Greece.
Xilam is in talks with top actors to provide voices and plans an English-language version as well.
Xilam produced the award-winning TV series based on the comic. The series drew 4.2 million viewers during its run on France 3. Antoine de Caunes provided the voice for Lucky Luke on TV.
Lucky Luke, created by Rene Goscinny and Morris (real name Maurice de Bevere), is a comicbook legend in France. However, in 2004, a live-action adaptation of the comic, titled THE DALTONS, didnt even gross half its $27 million production budget back. TOUS A L'OUEST will be the first toon feature starring the famed character in 25 years.
Xilam Animation (www.xilam.com) is an independent audiovisual and multimedia production company that creates, produces and distributes worldwide, both 2D and 3D CGI animated content for TV, film and videogame formats. Located in the heart of Paris, France, Xilam is a public company listed on the Paris Stock Market.
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