Many classic American characters, such as Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh, or at least their early versions, are entering the public domain, and studios are already taking advantage of the fact that they are now free to use these characters in their games. their own IPs.

Popeye also joined these characters, and ITN Studios decided to turn the character into a horror icon, as with characters such as Mickey Mouse and Winnie The Pooh. But Sailor Man wouldn’t be part of the company’s Warped Childhood Universe.

Popeye will haunt a group of council members in new horror movie

According to the film’s official synopsis, it looks like Popeye will decide to take a page from classic horror settings and go after a group of camp councilors. Official summary clarified:

The film is planned to star Steven Murphy and will be a “raunchy and bloody slasher”. Reimagining Popeye would have its own problems, but imagining the character as an unstoppable swordsman in the same vein as Jason and Ghostface might be an inspired choice. Considering that the character is known for his insane stamina, putting him in a horror setting is sure to create an atmosphere where anyone who opposes the character will feel completely helpless.

But Popeye is not yet available to the public

Copyright laws can be pretty risky, especially when it comes to monetized characters like Winnie the Pooh. While things that appear at the beginning are entering the public domain, things that become more iconic in later years may still not be in the public domain.

Considering that the film will be released in 2025, it should be noted that Popeye will not be in the public domain until January 1, 2025. In countries like Europe, copyright is based on when the creator created the film and when he died. There are different rules in the character’s ‘country of birth’, namely the United States.

In the US, there are different laws regarding how copyrights work when the creator is independent, working under a pseudonym, or even working for hire. Given that Elzie Crisler Segar made the character under the employment of King Feature Syndicate, the work is classified as being ‘for hire’ by the creator. This means the character’s copyright will be held by the company for a slightly longer period in January 2025, as opposed to becoming publicly available in 2009 (as in Europe) or 1989 (as in Canada).