’90s kids rejoice asAnimorphsis making a comeback. This time, on the big screen. Scholastic has partnered with Picturestart, which launched last year, to adapt the popular series of books by K.A. Applegate into a movie for the first time. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as the publisher is looking to bring the series back in a big way.
According to a new report, theAnimorphsmovie is set to be co-developed and co-produced byScholasticand Picturestart, which is headed up by Erik Feig. During his career, Feig has produced hits such asThe Hunger Gamesfranchise,Wrong Turn,La La LandandThe Hitman’s Bodyguard. There is no word yet on who may be tapped to pen the screenplay, nor is it clear who will end up in the director’s chair. Feig had this to say about it in a statement.
“We couldn’t be more excited to work with Scholastic to adapt Animorphs, aniconic book serieswith a wildly unique combination of exciting, witty, outlandish and grounded elements that feel all too relevant for our times. We know these books have a deservedly deep bench of passionate fans, ourselves included, and we hope to make Katherine Applegate and her co-author, Michael Grant, proud as we bring Jake, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, and Tobias to life for a new generation.”
The story, generally speaking, centers on a group of five humans, Jake, Marco, Cassie, Rachel and Tobias, as well as an alien, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill, aka Ax. They obtain the ability totransform into any animalthey touch and use their powers to combat a secret alien invasion. Scholastic’s Iole Lucchese had this to say about it.
“The central themes of Animorphs have resonated strongly with kids for more than two decades, and the time is right for a feature film that takes thiscaptivating sci-fi adventureto another level for audiences today. Picturestart has an incredible track record of success, and Erik and his team are the perfect partners to help bring this exciting new series based on the adventure-packed books to movie screens.”
In addition to the movie, Scholastic is also set to release a graphic novel adaptation of theAnimorphsseries on October 6. Chris Gine adapted the first novel,The Invasion, for the publisher’s Graphix imprint. Additionally, the original six books in the series are set to be re-released this fall in a “Retro Box Tin.” The books will come with their original 90s covers.
Animorphswas originally published as a series of books between 1996 and 2001. In total, 54 books were produced with more than 35 million copies printed. This marks the first time that the property will be adapted as a movie. A short-lived TV show was produced that ran for two seasons from 1998 to 1999. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as further details on the project are made available. This news comes to us viaThe Hollywood Reporter.
