PANDA man takes on the MINOTAUR

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Kung-Fu Panda director John Stevenson will next helm a screen adaptation of Steven Sherrill's quirky 2000 novel, The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break. The book tells the bittersweet tale of an actual minotaur (the half-man/half-bull of ancient legend) who is now living in a Midwestern trailer park and working as a cook in a grubby diner. The hapless creature has somehow managed to blend in with human society - so much so that he leads a drab and lonesome existence... Or he does until he meets Kelly, the epileptic waitress who wins his heart. (Click the image at left to buy the book.)

The film's expected to be live-action with CGI elements. I'll be curious to see which way this one goes. Played right, this could be a real charmer. I didn't see Kung-Fu Panda, but everybody I've asked has given me almost exactly the same review: "I thought it would suck... But it was surprisingly OK!"

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