'Hello Kitty' movie gets 'Moana 2' directors, sets July 2028 release date
Washington, May 19
The long-in-development 'Hello Kitty' feature film has secured its directors, with filmmakers behind 'Moana 2' and 'Ultraman: Rising' officially set to helm the project, marking a major step forward for the adaptation of the iconic global character.
David Derrick Jr. ('Moana 2') and John Aoshima ('Ultraman: Rising') will direct the upcoming film, which will be produced by Beau Flynn. Former Paramount Animation president Ramsey Naito ('The Boss Baby') is also on board as a producer, according to Variety.
The film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and New Line Cinema and is scheduled for theatrical release on July 21, 2028. It will mark 'Hello Kitty's' Hollywood theatrical debut.
The project has been in development for several years, with Shelby Thomas overseeing for FlynnPictureCo. Beau Flynn has reportedly spent nearly a decade working with Sanrio founder Shintaro Tsuji to secure the rights to the character.
As per Variety, the screenplay is currently being written by Jeff Chan, with earlier drafts contributed by Dana Fox, Katie Dippold, Adam Sztykiel, Jenny Jaffe, Lindsey Beer and Tamara Becher-Wilkinson. The story is based on a treatment by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon.
Both directors previously entered overall deals with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation under Bill Damaschke.
First introduced in 1974 by Japan's Sanrio, 'Hello Kitty' quickly became a global merchandising phenomenon, spanning thousands of products, themed cafes, a theme park in Japan, dozens of video games, and collaborations in fashion and lifestyle markets.
The character's popularity has also extended to friends such as Dear Daniel and the superhero alter ego Ichigoman.
The English-language feature was first announced by New Line in 2019 and marked the first time Sanrio licensed film rights for the character.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I'm honestly surprised it took this long for Hello Kitty to get a Hollywood theatrical movie. She's been around since the 70s! But better late than never. Hope they stay true to the Japanese roots and don't Americanize it too much.
Interesting that they got the Moana 2 director, but I wish they'd picked someone with more experience in anime or Japanese culture. Hello Kitty is a big deal in India too - I see her in every mall and on kids' backpacks. Hope it's not just another cash grab.
Hello Kitty was my childhood obsession! I even had a themed birthday party once. 🌸 But 2028 is so far away... hopefully they announce a Bollywood dubbing at some point. My nephew only watches Hindi-dubbed movies these days.
Honestly, I'm skeptical. Hello Kitty is such a minimalistic character with no real mouth or expression - how do you make a whole movie around that? But then again, they made a hit movie out of a Lego minifigure, so I guess anything's possible. Will give it a chance.
The screenplay seems to have gone through so many writers - that's a bit concerning. Too many cooks spoil the broth, na? But with FlynnPictureCo involved, maybe it'll turn out fine. Just hope the story is more than just merchandise promotion.
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