B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations

B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations was the title of American computer-animated supernatural action comedy film to be made by DreamWorks Animation. It is based on an original idea and directed by Tony Leondis. Tom Wheeler was said to be writing the script, with Maryann Garger as producer and Courtney Pledger as executive producing. The film would have starred Seth Rogen, Matt Bomer, Melissa McCarthy, Bill Murray, Octavia Spencer, Rashida Jones, and Jennifer Coolidge and would have been released on June 5, 2015 by 20th Century Fox.

Plot[]

B.O.O. (Bureau of Otherworldly Operations) is the super classified agency you've never heard of and certainly never seen. Dedicated to protecting humans from evil hauntings, the agents of B.O.O. have a secret weapon: they are ghosts themselves! Newbie agents Jackson Moss and his odd-ball partner, Watts, uncover a plot to destroy B.O.O. by the agency's Most Wanted Haunter. They must use every trick in their arsenal to defeat his powerful ghost army and save Earth from a ghostly fate.

Cast[]

John Hoffman as “Off-The-Rails” Oscar
Seth Rogen as Jackson Moss
Davis Cleveland as young Jackson Moss
Benjamin Stockham as Henry Moss
Bill Murray as Addison “Mr. Ekard” Drake
Jennifer Coolidge as Carole Sue Nivens-D’Onofrio
TBA as Rusty
Melissa McCarthy as Alexandra Graham “Watts” Watson
Aubrey Plaza as Juliana Jett
Yul Vazquez as Raul Rivera
Nigel W. Tierney as Child A
TBA as “Shovel-It-In” Steve
Tim Durkin as Wet Willie
Kenan Thompson as Gooball Greg
Ben Falcone as Smelvin the Sockinator
Rachel Pace as Tina/Twisting Sister No. 1
Amanda Pace as Tatum/Twisting Sister No. 2
Damon Jones as Ronnie Pesterman
Rashida Jones as Amy, Moss' ex wife, and Dylan’s Mother.
Matt Bomer as Gary, the New Husband of Moss' ex wife.
Octavia Spencer as Jenny/Captain Gloria Book
Cyrus Arnold as Chaz
Rio Mangini as Dylan
TBA as Jenny

Rest of the cast is unknown.

Development[]

On May 28, 2009 DreamWorks Animation first time announced plans for "Super Secret Ghost Project." Later in the mid-June 2009, it was reported that DreamWorks is developing the project as Boo U., Tony Leondis has been set to direct and Jon Vitti and Yong Duk Jhun to pen the screenplay for the film, set to be released in the end of 2012. The story would follow a ghost who is bad at his job and must return to ghost school.

Pre-Production[]

Seth Rogen was reported in August 2010 to have joined the film as a voice of the lead character. In September 2012, DreamWorks announced the film would star Seth Rogen, Matt Bomer, Melissa McCarthy, Bill Murray, Octavia Spencer, Rashida Jones, and Jennifer Coolidge. Director Tony Leondis said, "Bill Murray is the perfect actor to bring this character to life – or should I say after-life? Along with Jennifer and Octavia, this is a dream cast. I can't imagine a team more capable of packing a funnier punch to this broadly comedic ghost story." DreamWorks set November 6, 2015 for the film's release date (which was moved a few months later up to September 25), this time as an original project by Leondis, re-titled B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations, and written by Tom Wheeler. DreamWorks also gave the movie a new synopsis which “was about two bumbling apparitions who find themselves in an extraordinary after-life adventure when they join the Bureau of Otherworldly Operations (B.O.O.) – the ghost world's elite counter-haunting unit – and ultimately must face off against the planet's greatest haunter”.

Why It Was Cancelled[]

The films crew kept making small changes to the films story, which drove the movie way over budget, since they already blew a ton of their animation budget on constantly reshooting the ending, and so they could not afford the reshoots necessary for said story changes, nor did executives want to blow more money in this film with the risk of it being a box-office failure.
In January 2015, DreamWorks Animation announced the closing of Pacific Data Images (PDI) (their Redwood City, California studio), and the laying off of over 500 artists. As a result, B.O.O: Bureau of Otherwordly Operations had been dropped entirely from the production slate for the studio, and pushed back into an “in development” status.
DreamWorks Animation pulled the film's June 2015 release date to avoid competition with Disney/Pixar's Inside Out.
Rise of the Guardians, Turbo, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, and Penguins of Madagascar, four other DreamWorks Animation films, underperformed at the box office, despite receiving positive reviews.
Jeffrey Katzenberg never really liked the movie from the start.

Results[]

As of 2024, this film is shelved and will probably remain so indefinitely.
Home was the only DreamWorks Animation film released in 2015.
In 2015, Tony Leondis moved to Sony Pictures Animation to work on his next film The Emoji Movie, which was released on July 28, 2017. Ironically, Jennifer Coolidge, who was going to voice Carol Sue in B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations, went to voice as Gene's mother Mary Meh in The Emoji Movie. Despite being a box office success, the film was panned by critics and audiences alike.
Some footage and production material of the cancelled film began surfacing online as of 2016.
Any planned franchise, Sequels or spin-offs to B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations have effectively been canned, making this movie a Stillborn Franchise.
There have been rumors of Workprint cuts of B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations circulating in private trading circles, with copies being rumored to have made their way to said Workprint trading circles dating back to at least December 2015, but wether or not this is true remains to be seen.
The films official art book, titled “The Art of B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations”, leaked onto the internet archive, revealing tons of plot info, as well as character names and details not previously known.

Trivia[]

Merchandise for the film was released before the film's cancellation, which were subsequently pulled from store shelves once the film’s cancellation was announced.
The film was estimated to be approximately 60% fully animated.
Had the film not been cancelled, it would have likely been pushed back to a Fall 2015 or Spring 2016 release date, and was clearly intended to start a new Dreamworks franchise/IP, and would likely have spawned multiple sequels and a Netflix-Original TV-Show.
Many people have criticizes the movie’s art style, with many comparing one character in particular, Watts, to Sadness from Disney & Pixar’s Inside Out.
Allegedly, the film’s crew couldn’t decide on a proper ending for the movie.

Videos[]

B.O.O.VisDevReel

B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations

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