After rebooting The Pink Panther series a little over eight years ago with Steve Martin in the lead role as Inspector Clouseau, it looks as though MGM is ready to hit the reset switch on the franchise all over again. However, this time around they are taking it in the direction of many other recent family-friendly hits by using a mix of live-action and CG animation. The new movie is still being described as a caper film, but the main character will be the Pink Panther himself as opposed to Clouseau. The Pink Panther first appeared in the animated opening credit sequence of the 1963 film (a movie aimed at adults), as sort of a dream sequence version of what you see at the center of the titular priceless diamond. He eventually spawned his own Saturday morning cartoon, and now they are finally ready to re-introduce the character to a younger audience.

According to Variety, MGM has hired David Silverman to helm a live-action / animated hybrid reboot of The Pink Panther. Silverman is best known for his work as a writer and producer on The Simpsons and also for directing The Simpsons Movie. They claim that it will “harken back to the tone of the original Friz Freleng and David De Patie cartoons as well the Blake Edwards films that Sellers appeared in.”

In an entirely coincidental turn of events, I enjoyed revisiting the original The Pink Panther myself just last week. I remember being very confused as a kid who enjoyed the cartoon character but did not understand the live action movies at all. Sadly, the 2006 reboot was mostly aimed at kids anyway, and I really don’t see this new version having much in common with the original Blake Edwards films. What do you think, could a live-action / CG version of The Pink Panther actually turn out okay?