In the opening pages for the writing team consisting of Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon‘s recent book “Writing Movies for Fun and Profit,” the pair behind “Night at the Museum” and “Herbie: Fully Loaded” talk about how to properly pitch to major studios like DreamWorks and Disney. While they go more in-depth on the subject later, they establish that there’s a big difference between high-concept films, and those with a much simpler story. According to them, making the high-concept stuff seem simple is key to having your movie made.
“Tux,” an adaptation of a Japanese manga named “Tuxedo Gin,” follows a former street fighter who is forced to try and break free from a life as a reincarnated penguin following a bad card dealt by karma. Seems pretty high-concept for a major studio like Disney, so Garant must have been very persuasive. Deadline is reporting that Garant will be executive producing this flick over at the House of Mouse. VIZ Media is the group who control the rights to “Tuxedo Gin” in the U.S., and apparently adapting this property has been two years in the works.
Garant, known by many as Deputy Travis Junior on “Reno 911,” has been writing with another ‘Reno’ alum, Thomas Lennon, for quite some time. While the pair already have the Vin Diesel-starring action comedy “The Machine” set up at MGM, it looks as if Garant is branching out on his own with this one.
We’d be lying if we said the concept isn’t intriguing, especially coming from a major studio like Disney. Though who’s to say this won’t turn into another gimmicky family flick with adorable little CGI penguins? While Garant’s work on “Reno 911” was enjoyable, and the first “Night at the Museum” may have been an entertaining ride, there’s little to show on the rest of his resume that this could be a nuanced fantasy. Though perhaps if you get the right director who has a flair for blending reality with fantasy, perhaps someone like a Garth Jennings, maybe this could turn out to be a rare treat from a major studio.