Thought that the Bill Murray-headlined Garfield movies would be the last you’d see of everyone’s favourite lasagna-eating feline on the big screen? Well, now comes word that Alcon Entertainment have secured the rights from creator Jim Davis to develop an animated outing for Davis’ most famous creation.

The apparent plan of Alcon is to create a franchise of CGI Garfield movies, with Davis on board to serve as an executive producer on these films.

In a statement, Alcon’s Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove said, “Jim Davis’ creation has been an international sensation for all ages for decades, and we are thrilled to bring an animated Garfield feature to the big screen.”

Jim Davis himself added, “I’ve been so impressed with the quality of animation and storytelling coming out of Hollywood of late. I can’t wait to get into production with the terrific team Alcon has assembled.”

Already confirmed to be a part of the first movie are John Cohen (Despicable Me, The Angry Birds Movie) and Steven P. Wegner, who will produce alongside Alcon’s Kosove and Johnson. Bridget McMeel is also on board as an executive producer.

The lazy, grumpy, sarcastic and hungry Garfield has been a firm favourite of many since he first debuted in his own comic strip back in 1978. Joined by owner Jon Arbuckle and dog (and the target of so much of Garfield’s wrath) Odie, Garfield would soon become a household name and would go on to expand to animated specials, the seven-season Garfield and Friends, five seasons of The Garfield Show, plenty of DTV efforts, and the aforementioned Bill Murray-voiced live-action/CGI movies, Garfield: The Movie and Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties.

As ever, expect more on this as it develops.