Alcon acquired the rights from Davis, who will also serve as an executive producer on the film. Alcon hopes to build a franchise of fully CG animated films featuring the iconic orange cat, his pal Odie, and their owner Jon Arbuckle.

The project was brought to Alcon by John Cohen, producer of Despicable Me and Angry Birds, and Steven P. Wegner. Cohen and Wegner will produce the feature,  along with Alcon’s Andrew Kosove and Broderick Johnson. Bridget McMeel from Amuse will also executive produce.

The last attempt at a Garfield cinematic feature was 2006’s live-action/CG hybrid Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, the sequel to 2004’s Garfield: The Movie. The film was panned by critics and fans alike (see “'Cars' Flatten 'Garfield'”).

The Garfield comic strip was started in 1978 and originally appeared in 41 newspapers. It was immensely popular and expanded to appear in 2,580 newspapers and journals, with an estimated readership of 260 million at its height. Garfield is the world record holder for most widely syndicated comic strip.