The animation house behind the Steve Carrell hit Despicable Me is working on a Woody Woodpecker movie, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The film, to be penned by the team behind the Will Ferrell ice-skating comedy Blades of Glory, will give the character a modern makeover, with a view to launching a new franchise. It will be the first film outing for the frenetic birdie since 1972's Bye, Bye, Blackboard (though he did have a cameo in 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit).

Woody was dreamed up as a replacement for waning animation staple Oswald the Lucky Rabbit by cartoonist Walter Lantz in 1940, following an unhappy holiday experience in which he and his wife were plagued by a tapping woodpecker. Initially voiced by Mel Blanc, the future Bugs Bunny, Woody was a brash, quiffed mischief-maker, and a massive hit in the US during the second world war. But later, the character mellowed and relaxed, and was less prone to irrational outbursts. The studios introduced a love interest, Winnie, a Bluto-esque nemesis, Ben Buzzard, and even some prankster relatives: a niece, Splinter, and a nephew, Knothead.

Woody's critical peak came in 1947, when his theme tune, which exploited his maniacal laugh, was nominated for the best song Oscar, the only song from a short film ever to be nominated in the category. But it was Woody's move on to the small screen in the 1950s that cemented his place in popular culture.