If Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse weren’t enough, everyone’s favorite sailor man Popeye is set to join the horror genre, too. Better eat all that spinach, because he biffs and buffs anyone who crosses his path.
As more characters become public domain, expect an influx of movies about these pop culture icons in the most precarious of genres. In the case of the spinach-eating, Olive Oyl-loving sailor with weapons of mass destruction on his arms, prepare for the fright of your life in the upcoming horror, Popeye. Why, you may ask? Well, the more appropriate question is: Why not?
As per Bloody Disgusting, ITN Studios – the production house behind cinematic masterpieces such as The Corpse Grinders, Mountain Shark, and Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey – is hard at work at bringing Popeye to screens across the globe. Set for release in January 2025, the film is directed by William Stead, produced by Rene August, and stars Steven Murphy as the titular character.
Not much information is available about Popeye except for the fact that it’s a “raunchy and gory slasher” that will see the sailor embark on a bloody quest of violence. Surprisingly, it isn’t connected to the infamous Poohniverse, which is a rotten shame, because who wouldn’t want to see the Sailor Man face off against Pooh Bear as if it’s a modern-day version of Freddy vs. Jason?
As soon as the exciting news about Popeye hit the internet, fans couldn’t wait to rush to social media and let everyone know what they thought about what could become one of the most anticipated films of 2025. One user on X noticed the size of Popeye’s arms and wrote: “Bro probably will eat spinach and go on a slaughter spree in this one. Noice. Never imagined a childhood cartoon like this.”
Others appreciated the commitment to go full-blown horror with the character and embraced the outlandish nature of the idea, with a commentator saying: “Popeye – the slayer man.” Yeah, even Buffy Summers doesn’t want to catch any stray haymakers from this version of the character.
This isn’t the first time that Popeye will appear in a live-action film, though. In 1980, the late Robin Williams put up his dukes to battle Paul L. Smith’s Bluto for the honor of Shelley Duvall’s Olive Oyl. It might not have set the world on fire or changed the course of cinema history, but Robert Altman’s Popeye has become something of a beloved cult classic since then – with even filmmakers Paul Thomas Anderson and Phil Lord declaring their love for the film.
ITN Studios’ Popeye isn’t the only movie about the Sailor Man in production either. As per Variety, Chernin Entertainment and King Features aim to bring Popeye to the big screen, with screenwriter Michael Caleo clacking away at a script. Since it’s still early days in the production cycle, there’s not a lot of information about the direction or who might even play the titular character here. If Dwayne Johnson stopped taking himself too seriously for a second, he might be the perfect person to play Popeye on the big screen, but alas, we shall see.
Regardless, if Cherin and King’s Popeye film doesn’t ever materialize, at least fans can look forward to ITN Studios’ effort. If anything, it’ll be a riotous and gory time that will be spoken about for years to come.