Variety is reporting that Warner Bros. has optioned a screenplay by Paul Sopocy and plans to bring the 1980 animated characters the Thundercats to the big screen in a CGI animated feature.  Warners, which is already neck-deep in Reagan-era nostalgia with its Speed Racer and He-Man projects (see 'Silver Pushes He-Man Movie'), is dipping into the 1980's well once more with this project based on the Rankin-Bass animated series that debuted in 1983.  The series was animated in part by the Japanese studio Topcraft, whose members formed the basis for Studio Ghibli).

The new Warners venture won't be the first Thundercats feature film--that honor goes to the unfortunately named Thundercats-Ho!, which hit the big screen in 1986.  Warner Bros. acquired the rights to the property when it purchased Lorimar-Telepictures in 1989.

Marvel published a Thundercats comic from 1985-1988, while DC's Wildstorm imprint released two series of Thundercats comics during the mini (1980s) nostalgia boom in 2003. In addition to possibly allowing retailers to get rid of some back stock, a Thundercats film could provide other merchandising opportunities--Thundercats logo t-shirts have become quite the rage in certain hip circles and if the new movie isn't too cheesy, they might have a chance to go mainstream.