Netflix’s Arcane had a very distinct look and feel to its art style and animation, something that wowed critics and audiences alike. Produced by French animation production house, Fortiche Production, both seasons of the show won hearts across the world, becoming one of the most successful video game adaptions of all time.
Now, emboldened by the success that the studio has received from Arcane, Fortiche Production is gearing up for its first original feature-length film, which it revealed at the Annecy Animation Festival, as reported by Variety. The studio wished to look at an original story, but retain the familiarity that reboots and remakes had. For this reason, the studio decided to work on a sci-fi story, inspired by The Odyssey.
Fortiche Production’s Penelope of Sparta has a talented crew helming it
Penelope of Sparta, the original film from Fortiche Production, is a film that takes a lot of inspiration from The Illiad and The Odyssey. It is helmed by Arcane producer Jérôme Combe, along with The Grinch alum, Silvia Martelossi. The art director of the film will be Raël Lyra, who has previously worked with other animated films and visual media like comics.
The style of the film will be similar to what that studio is familiar with, mixing 3D and 2D visuals, like that studio did with Arcane. This animation style has surged in popularity, with more and more studios looking to employ the style and moving away from hyper-realism.
Speaking with Variety, Combe revealed:
We felt a strong desire to embark on an original project and to create a feature film specifically designed for the cinema, following the success of ‘Arcane.’ In an era where most projects are reboots or based on existing IPs, our challenge was to develop something original while staying on familiar ground for audiences. Thus, we decided to adapt one of the oldest ‘IPs’ in history – Homer’s “Odyssey” – a story known to all.
The film is shaping up to be quite the retelling. While it takes characters from Homer’s epics, their situation is changed beyond just the genre shift to science fiction.
The plot for Penelope of Sparta plays out like a classic sci-fi tale of rebellion
While the film is set to take inspiration from The Odyssey and The Illiad, the plot of the film neither concerns Troy, nor the abduction of Helen. While the character is a key figure in the story of Odyssey, Penelope has been reinterpreted in a science fiction high school setting, one with a secret mission of squashing the hold of the Colonial Athenian Empire on her kingdom- Sparta.
According to Variety, the film is set to star other heroes and figures from the Greek Epic Cycle, such as Achilles, Circe, Helen, Agamemnon, and of course, Odysseus. Aimed at a YA audience, the film does have a very distinct Hunger Games vibe, which might work well with a young audience. Further, with Fortiche Production’s distinct style, a successful feature-length film could give way to a library of productions from the studio.
