The first feature film based on the 1990s young adult sci-fi book series Animorphs is on the way.
The children’s publishing and media company Scholastic will partner with Picturestart to create the movie, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Scholastic Entertainment’s Iole Lucchese and Caitlin Friedman will produce the movie alongside Picturestart's Erik Feig and Lucy Kitada.
“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,” Feig, pictured above, told THR. “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.”
Written by K.A. Applegate, the books focus on five teenagers who can morph into any animal they touch. Together, they use these powers to battle aliens who are secretly invading Earth. The series originally ran in print from 1996 to 2001, for a total of 54 books. In the late '90s, a TV show was also created and aired for two seasons.
“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,” Lucchese added. “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.”
