He’s most known and loved for character dramas like Juno, Up in the Air and Young Adult (let’s just forget Men, Women and Children ever happened, shall we?) but it looks like the Oscar-winning Jason Reitman is set to make his animation debut.
THR reports that Reitman is in talks with DreamWorks to write and direct Beakle, a CGI animated adaptation of the celebrated 2014 children’s book The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend, which recently won the prestigious Caldecott Medal for distinguished illustration.
It tells the story of an imaginary friend who is born on a far away magical island. Passed over time and time again for choice by a human child, he then sets off on a big adventure in the bustling city where he eventually meets his perfect match and given a name: Beekle.
Although DreamWorks is no stranger to animation, having had massive hits with the Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar and How to Train Your Dragon franchises, this is the first commissioned animation under the new co-presidents Bonnie Arnold and Mireille Soria.
Reitman had this to say about the project:
I was book shopping with my daughter, when a little tooth-shaped character in a paper crown stole our hearts… His name was Beekle, and I’m honored to now be adapting Santat’s charming story into a feature film. I’m particularly proud to be working with DreamWorks Animation, makers of Kung Fu Panda, the first film my daughter ever saw on the big screen.
Source: THR