MUMBAI: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)’s chairman and CEO Gary Barber and president of motion picture group Jonathan Glickman announced on 31 March that it is currently in the process for producing a full-length hybrid animation and live-action feature film based on the animated Pink Panther character.

Walter Mirisch, executive producer of the original Pink Panther films and television series will serve as the producer of the new film, along with Academy Award-winning actress, Julie Andrews (The Princess Diaries), wife of the late director Blake Edwards. David Silverman (The Simpsons Movie, Monsters, Inc.) will direct.  The Pink Panther character originated a remarkable fifty years ago.

The new caper film will focus on the character, rather than inspector Clouseau, and will reminisce back to the tone shared by the original Friz Freleng and David De Patie cartoons as well as that of Blake Edwards’ films.

"We are incredibly proud to re-introduce the Pink Panther to a brand new generation in such a fresh way. Even more exciting is the chance to work again with our dear friends Walter Mirisch and Julie Andrews, as well as the talented David Silverman, whose enthusiasm convinced us to ‘Think Pink!’," said Glickman in a press statement.

“I am delighted that the legacy of Blake’s iconic Pink Panther franchise will continue to grow in its new hybrid form. It is exciting that the quintessential ‘next step’ for our beloved Panther will be enjoyed by a fourth generation of audiences. I feel that Blake is encouraging us on,” said Andrews in the statement.

For fifty years, the Pink Panther has been one of the most beloved characters in the history of film. There are a select few animated characters who have reached the level of popularity and longevity that the Pink Panther has achieved.  Next to James Bond, The Pink Panther movie franchise is one of the longest running in cinematic history, boasting 11 feature films, spanning five decades. The films have won 2 Academy Awards, 2 Golden Globe Awards and the Grammy Award-winning theme song by the legendary music composer Henry Mancini (Breakfast at Tiffany’s) still stands today as one of the greatest themes of all time.