Get your togas ready. National Lampoon is heading back to college.
The comedy company, known for producing such films as 1978's Animal House and 1983's Vacation, has signed a deal with 20th Century Fox for a new animated college TV series, National Lampoon president Alan Donnes told T-Lounge exclusively during a phone interview.
"Everybody in Hollywood and in this business, is waiting for somebody else to take a gamble with you. I can tell you, even though there hasn’t been a public announcement, there’s a signed contract with 20th Century Fox TV for an animated National Lampoon college show. I can’t tell you the writer’s names, but I can tell you he’s one of the biggest writers in animation. 20th Century Fox TV, if you check and see what animated shows they do, they’re among the very best if not the best in animation. It took months and months to put it together, but 20th Century Fox is willing to take a gamble on us [and it] is huge for us,” Donnes said.
The company, which started out as a humor magazine in 1970, is no stranger to college-centric projects. The magazine was founded by Harvard Lampoon alumni Henry Beard, Robert Hoffman and Douglas C. Kenney. In addition to Animal House, National Lampoon has attached its name to several campus comedies, including 2002's Van Wilder, its 2006 sequel Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj and 2003's Dorm Daze. The company also previously launched a TV network targeted at U.S. college students.
Donnes didn't reveal any additional details about the project, but since Animal House and Van Wilder are two of National Lampoon's most recognizable college-set properties, it's possible that this new animated series could have ties to one of them. Since National Lampoon is currently moving away from movie-licensing deals and focusing on bringing back the style of humor of its early days, as Donnes described in a recent interview with T-Lounge, it seems more likely that the project would have something to do with Animal House rather than Van Wilder.
Plus, who doesn't want to see the "Shout" musical number get the animated treatment?
Be sure to follow T-Lounge on Twitter and visit our Facebook page.
