Anna Faris and Dan Akyroyd set to join Yogi Bear pic-a-nic

He was reputedly "smarter than the average bear" and it seems that he is more durable too. Yogi, the hirsute cartoon hero who once stole picnic baskets from the campers in "Jellystone Park", is to make his comeback in a tailor-made Hollywood movie.

Yogi Bear, which is expected to start shooting next month in New Zealand, will blend live-action with CG animation in its bid to resuscitate the defunct TV favourite. Variety reports that Dan Aykroyd is in negotiations to provide the voice of the tie-wearing bear. Justin Timberlake is lined up to co-star as his sidekick Boo-Boo, while Anna Faris will play a documentary film-maker who visits the park.

Yogi Bear first appeared on TV screens in 1958, before being graced with his own dedicated slot, The Yogi Bear Show, in 1961. Produced by Hanna-Barbera and sponsored by Kellogg's, The Yogi Bear Show revolved around the star's endless efforts to outwit the officious Park Ranger Smith. Nothing, it appeared, spurred Yogi to action more than the scent of a stray "pic-a-nic basket".

The Warner Bros production is being scripted by Brad Copeland and will be shot by Eric Brevig, who directed Journey to the Centre of the Earth. It will, in fact, mark Yogi's second foray into the wilder realms of the feature-length movie. In his younger, more supple days, he starred in a 1964 cartoon movie entitled Hey There, It's Yogi Bear.

Source: Guardian Online