FitzRoy Media Gears Up to Revive Heathcliff Brand

NEW YORK, September 3:
Hamp Hampton, the CEO of FitzRoy Media, reveals to World Screen Newsflash plans for new animated content based on the
35-year-old comic-strip Heathcliff,
in conjunction with Peter Gallagher, the nephew of the creator of the orange
and black feline.

Gallagher took over writing
and drawing the Heathcliff
comic strip in 1998 after serving as an apprentice with his uncles, George
Gately—Heathcliff’s
creator—and John Gallagher. The series continues to be syndicated to
newspapers across the U.S., but hasn’t been seen in TV form since the 1980s.
FitzRoy Media is working with Gallagher to relaunch the classic cat for
contemporary audiences. In the works are animated feature films and
direct-to-DVD releases.

“We’re definitely looking
forward to reintroducing him and we want to emphasize he’s a tough guy, a
street cat,” Gallagher tells World Screen Newsflash. “One thing I’ve always wanted to see is Heathcliff presented in a way that is true to the way it’s
been drawn. This year Heathcliff turns 35. With that kind of longevity, you don’t
want to totally redo it, you want to stay true to the character but you also
want it to appeal to a modern audience.”

While the look promises to
stay true to the original, the specials in the works will be contemporary in
tone, Hampton says. “We want to try and find this voice of Heathcliff that
resonates; that has that street lingo. We’re going to go high comedy. We want
to find a comedy writer and a comedian [for the] voice.”

The first special, which
is slated to go into production in 2009, will be used as a platform to relaunch
a licensing and merchandising plan around the Heathcliff brand. Hampton notes: “We think the DVDs will
actually create an interest to do an animated feature film. That’s where we’d
really like it to go.”

—By Mansha Daswani