JPE is headed by former J. Walter Thompson president Steve Bowen, who is
working on this project, among others, with executive producer Leopoldo Gout, a
writer, director and producer based at Curious Pictures. Patterson is the
former chief creative officer of J. Walter Thompson. His most recent title to
make the transition from print to the screen is the new ABC series Women’s
Murder Club, which was adapted from his
bestselling series of novels.
Beer Belly and Fat Boy will be a
mixed media feature combining live action, motion capture and digital
animation. The movie is about a slacker who’s in reality a killing machine
secretly manipulated by evil corporations. The story is currently in
development, and both Curious and JPE are in negotiations with writers,
directors and other talent.
Bowen and Patterson knew of Curious Pictures’ from their careers in
advertising. The partnership gives JPE access to the studio’s expertise in
design, animation, live action, mixed media, motion capture and game
development.