Mike Fleming

Lionsgate has committed to making Night of the Living Fred, a small budget 3D film that is a followup to Fred: The Movie. That telepic racked up high ratings for Nickelodeon last fall. The protagonist, Fred Figgelhorn, is a fast-talking, hyperactive character created and played by teen actor Lucas Cruikshank, originally in a series of YouTube videos. He’s got his own “Fred” channel, which has over 2 million subscribers. Lionsgate will control North American distribution and sell international. John Fortenberry is directing the film, which has just gotten underway in LA. David A. Goodman wrote the script (he wrote the other Fred flick). Varsity Pictures’ Brian Robbins and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett are producing with Gary Binkow and Evan Weiss of The Collective. Here’s one of the kid’s YouTube videos. He sounds a bit like Eric Cartman to me. This is obviously geared for a generation far younger than mine, but I’d be lucky to get through 15 minutes of this manic high-pitched energy before praying for a swift death. Am I being unreasonable?