Marmaduke film set for 2020
Andrews McMeel Entertainment (AME) is excited to announce that the iconic Marmaduke comic strip is being adapted into an animated feature film, scheduled to release in 2020. For the first time in AMU history, the company is investing in its own film, partnering with Legacy Pictures and One Cool Group to finance the CGI feature. AME President Bridget McMeel and Syndicate President John Glynn began working on the project in September 2016.
SNL’s Pete Davidson will voice main character Marmaduke. Oscar-winning actor J.K. Simmons is set to voice Zeus, a narcissistic Afghan Hound and Marmaduke’s nemesis in the film. Kansas City native David Koechner, known for his roles in “Anchorman” and “The Office,” will play Phil, patriarch of the Winslow family. Koechner also starred in AME’s “Small Apartments.”
Created by Brad Anderson in 1954, Marmaduke remains wildly popular decades after its debut. Families everywhere have grown to love playful Great Dane Marmaduke and the entire Winslow family. Before his death in 2015, Anderson won several awards for Marmaduke, including the National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award as well as the George Arents Pioneer Medal for Syracuse University alumni. Marmaduke strips created by both Anderson and his son, Paul, continue to be syndicated daily.
The 2020 film won’t be the first time this comic strip has been adapted for the screen. In 1980, the animated series “Heathcliff” included several segments dedicated to Marmaduke. In this series, Marmaduke was voiced by Paul Winchell. In 2010, John Davis adapted the strip into a live-action comedy film starring Owen Wilson, George Lopez and Emma Stone.
