Animorphs Movie In Development

[CyberpunkCentral]

Animorphs, the massively popular kids book series from the 1990s, is finally headed to the big screen.

Scholastic is partnering with Erik Feig and his Picturestart banner for the first feature film based on the sci-fi series by K.A. Applegate.

The main plot of Animorphs follows five teens — Jake, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, and Tobias — who have the ability to morph into any animal they touch. They use their powers to fight a secret alien invasion of Earth.

There are more than 35 million copies of the Animorphs books in print, with the original run occurring from 1996 to 2001. While this project will be the first feature film based on the series of 54 books, a Canadian-produced television series ran for two seasons in the late '90s.

Animorphs will be developed and produced under the partnership that was announced during the 2019 launch of Picturestart, which sees the global children’s publishing and media company, Scholastic, providing the production banner access to its IP.

Scholastic Entertainment's Iole Lucchese and Caitlin Friedman will produce the movie, with Picturestart's Feig and Lucy Kitada. Overseeing script development will be Scholastic's Friedman and Picturestart's Royce Reeves Darby.

Scholastic also has plans to launch a graphic novel adaptation of the Animorphs series via its Scholastic Graphix imprint on Oct. 6, with Eisner-Award nominee Chris Gine having adapted the first novel, The Invasion. Additionally, the company will release a Retro Box Tin in the fall of the first six books in the Animorphs series, with their original ‘90s covers.

"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 this captivating sci-fi adventure to another level for audiences today," said Lucchese. "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."

"We couldn't be more excited to work with Scholastic to adapt Animorphs, an iconic book series with a wildly unique combination of exciting, witty, outlandish and grounded elements that feel all too relevant for our times," said Feig. "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."

Scholastic's other recent Hollywood projects include Sony's Goosebumps movies and the upcoming live-action/animation hybrid adaptation of Clifford the Big Red Dog, which is due out this Nov. via Paramount.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/he..._medium=social

[kylor]

Harry Potter vibes.

[MattJ1991]

No thank you.

[JayTL]

Bring it on, I loved the book series

...zero expectations though

[Creed]

Love Animorphs!

[Creed]

I have four books.

Please don't mess this up.

[Jennifer Lawrence Fan]

Originally Posted by Creed

I have four books.

Please don't mess this up.

Don't worry. They will. 😆 😝

[imsounoriginal]

Loved the books when I was a kid. Vaguely remember the show. Hope this turns out well.

[Mandalorian]

90's kids what up

[Hoke Moseley]

Now that's a blast from the past.

[Gacivory]

If we’re mining my childhood. Then where’s a Street Sharks movie?

How about Biker Mice From Mars movie?

[CyberpunkCentral]

Originally Posted by Gacivory

If we’re mining my childhood. Then where’s a Street Sharks movie?

Ah shit! When I was a child I remember having one of these...

Street Sharks - Action Figures - TV Toy Commercial - TV Spot - TV Ad - Mattel - 80's - YouTube

[captainsolo]

Don’t you love it when a relatively obscure project you’ve tried endlessly to nail down how to adapt gets name dropped...I can’t say that I don’t have really great misgivings over this...not just because I’ve tinkered with/obsessed over an adaptation for years. Name a what if/how to question and chances are I’ve already considered it/debated it to death. (There’s a multitude of questions that must be considered-least of all how can all of the effects be achieved on a feasible budget and look accurate.)
If done properly these would be hard R rated in terms of drama (you don’t have to overdo the body horror as it’s terrifying enough in implication.) while still being pictures for children as well. The books did not skimp on themes, the atrocities of war or new horrors and neither should the films. I’ve always described them to others (as most today have only a fleeting memory or any knowledge of the series at all) as American Graffiti meets Apocalypse Now in Hell. There are of course bits of John Hughes type material just as there are bits that feel like Red Dawn. As a picture series I think these could most resemble a sort of Godfather character arc. (Those who know how these books go understand the inference.)
The darkness of these stories must be maintained just as much as the quirky and believable humor. Whether it is kept as a period piece or not is questionable though in the current landscape opting for a series would be the more bankable option-not to mention allow for more breathing room to adapt the whole series.

Aaaaaand judging by the resume of those involved....oh dear....kill me now...this will be yet another empty bored attempt at making a franchise with no soul in the mound of Twilight etc...why do they even bother? I swear if there hadn’t been there on and off rash of Internet memories for the series out of nostalgia this would not be a thing. It’s also because they made a deal with scholastic and this is the most bankable property they have.

The first picture should be a hard PG-13 or tiptoe into R territory and have the tagline which comes from book 1: “Idiot teenagers with a death wish.”
Chances of a truly artistic rendering onscreen like that: none.

Well at least I still have my complete series on the shelf...wonder where I put that darned blue box?.....

[SmittysGelato]

My favourite childhood books, easy!

[captainsolo]

Here’s my complete shelf. I still reread these every once in a while. And as always they’re far darker than you remember.

[JayTL]

Originally Posted by captainsolo

Here’s my complete shelf. I still reread these every once in a while. And as always they’re far darker than you remember.

Oh I remember them being plenty dark...

Island of rats.

[joshsquash729]

Loved the books as a kid. If done well, I can see this being a really fun movie. Gotta take itself seriously but also embrace the shlock of it. Maybe give us like one family-friendly body horror scene, or at the very least, some well done puberty metaphors. Hope this also does well enough to stoke interest in a Beast Boy movie for DC.

[tigertron]

It won't work as a film because Animorphs is episodic in nature. A Netflix series would have been better, but I'll reserve judgement until I see it.

Animorphs Intro - YouTube

Love this theme.

[Kaiju]

I remember these books as a kid, may have even owned one or two.

As far as a movie is concerned:

[kevin87]

Originally Posted by kylor

Harry Potter vibes.

HP has Animorphs vibes, if anything.

Originally Posted by JayTL

Bring it on, I loved the book series

...zero expectations though

I didn't read all the books, but I had about 15ish I think... then I just didn't know where to get them because they were never at WM and I live in a smaller town where that was basically the only place to buy anything... and I didn't know stores like Books-A-Million or Barnes & Noble, so I only ever bought them at my elementary school's Book Fair and when I got to middle school, there was no more Book Fair lol

I watched the show though, I still think of Shawn Ashmore as "the boy from Animorphs," so I'll probably check the movie out if it ever happens but yeah, rock bottom expectations.