Movies With Butter

ALF, the 80s sit-com about a furry alien crash landing into the lives of the Tanners, is getting closer to having its own movie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures Animation has acquired the feature rights to the property, and the studio plans to develop it into a live-action/CG movie ala The Smurfs.

Jordan Kerner, who also produced The Smurfs, is onboard to produce the movie with the sit-com's creators Tom Platchett and Paul Fusco. Fusco voiced the title character in TV show and is expected to do so again for the movie.

Since the project is still early in its development, no writer or director is attached, but expect an announcement in the coming weeks.

ALF ran for four seasons from 1986 to 1990 on NBC. When the show aired its final episode, there was supposed to be a TV movie to tie up the loose ends, but NBC never allowed it to be made. The TV movie eventually aired on ABC six years later in 1996.

However, it has been 16 years since that TV movie though, so the movie will probably start from the beginning and re-tell the story of how the furry alien crash landed into the garage of the Tanners and became their permanent house guest.

The Smurfs made over $563 million for Sony at the worldwide box office, but as a brand, ALF probably isn't as popular as these little blue creatures. I expect the box office potential for the ALF movie to be less than that of The Smurfs.

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