Every film production has a different level of privacy, some movies we know every single development, others it’s like pulling teeth to find anything out. In 2018, it was announced that Genndy Tartakovsky (“Dexter’s Laboratory”) would be directing an animated feature for Sony called “The Black Knight,” then….silence. Which left many to assume the project got stuck in production hell like so many do.
Yesterday, Tartakovsky surprised everyone by sharing a 40-second test animation from “The Black Knight.” Along with the clip the animator explained that this was to try to drum up support for the film being made since the studio isn’t sure there is a market for it.
“The Black Knight“
“Well, this might get me in trouble….But gotta try a new strategy,” he posted on Instagram. “About 6 years ago we started development on a more adult animated action movie, The Black Knight. We developed it for a few years, the studio liked what we were doing but they were unsure if there is an audience that would go see it theatrically. We made a down and dirty test, and still no go. So to try something different I thought I would share the test to see if it can get a ground swell of excitement that would change the studio’s mind.”
Given how long it has been since there was any word on this project, and Tartakovsky being vague, this film may no longer be with Sony. But he gives some very interesting plot details explaining the test footage, which consists of a massive knight fighting a ninja.
“I won’t share the details of the story except for one element, our Knight Armor is 20 feet high and controlled by a knight inside using ropes, pulleys, and levers. The setting is around the 14th century. Anyways, I’ve already said too much.”
We’ll keep you posted on if Tartakovsky’s “The Black Knight” gambit works out. You can check out the clip below:
