A beloved cartoon that premiered on Chinese television over three decades ago has been greenlit for adaptation into a live-action film, according to the country’s film industry regulator.

The China Film Administration announced Thursday that it had granted approval for a silver-screen version of “Calabash Brothers” — a classic cartoon popularly known as “Huluwa” in Chinese. The notice further said that the well-known screenwriter Ran Jianan will be responsible for the script.

When “Calabash Brothers” first aired in 1986, the cartoon told the story of seven brothers who were “born” from seven gourds, each of a different color and each conferring a unique power. The elderly farmer who grew the brothers had an unfortunate habit of getting abducted by an evil snake-lady, and so the sibling septet spent the majority of their time trying to rescue him or thwart her efforts to wreak havoc on their once-peaceful village.

On microblogging platform Weibo, some users have welcomed the news of a “Calabash Brothers” remake by sharing their fond memories of the series. But many more are skeptical about whether it’s even possible for a live-action version to faithfully reflect the show they hold dear. “This adaption is going to be really tricky,” wrote one Weibo user. “Why can’t these cartoon characters just stay cartoon characters?” lamented another. (Image: VCG)