Flea Pitches Himself for a ‘Popeye’ Movie

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea continues to add to his acting resume, most recently appearing as a bounty hunter in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, but could the musician be the perfect person to portray an iconic character from the comics? He recently pitched an idea to play Popeye via Twitter, if anyone is willing to follow through.

The musician and sometimes actor tossed out the idea in a weekend tweet, suggesting, “If a good director decides to make a Popeye movie, I’m your man.” And you can see why, as the bassist extraordinaire does have a striking resemblance to the iconic comic book character.

Popeye initially started off as comic from E.C. Segar in 1929. But the character later made its way to the big screen in a 1980 live action musical, directed by Robert Altman and featuring Robin Williams as the spinach-loving sailor and Shelley Duvall as his lady love Olive Oyl.

Popeye 1980 Trailer

In today’s Hollywood where character franchises seem to be rehashed and rebooted with frequency, a new Popeye film is something that definitely could be considered, though there has been no indication of a new film being in the works.

How serious Flea actually is about his Popeye film suggestion remains to be seen, but the flurry of Twitter responses indicate that it’s something that Hollywood directors and casting should at least consider.

Actress Meredith Salenger weighed in, telling the bassist, “Robert Altman’s was one of my favs. Robin Williams. The set. The music – Harry Nilsson. Shelley Duvall singing ‘he needs me’ (later used in punch drunk love). Perfection. And yes… you would be perfect casting.”

Another Twitter follower offered, “Robert Altman was a pretty good director and Robin Williams was fantastic but now that you’ve mentioned this I’m onboard for a reboot. Actually you as Popeye is kinda genius casting.”

And there are those who had fun with the post as well, offering up a photo of a pigtailed Anthony Kiedis as a suggestion to play Olive Oyl. See a few of the comments from the post below.

While Flea is primarily known for his music, he’s amassed a pretty impressive resume of acting credits over the years. On top of his recent Obi-Wan Kenobi appearance, he’s appeared in the Back to the Future film series, The Big Lebowski, Baby Driver, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Chase and more.

As for the original Popeye, despite its seemingly perfect casting of Robin Williams in the lead role, it opened at $6.3 million and grossed just $49.8 million in the U.S. and Canada while initially receiving poor reviews. The film, however, has received a bit of a cult following in the years since its release and is viewed in a more positive light these days.

Of course, before accepting a film role, Flea would have to make sure his schedule accommodates it. Red Hot Chili Peppers are currently supporting their latest album, Unlimited Love, with touring currently scheduled into October.