Illumination Entertainment, the studio behind the unexpected success Despicable Me, are engineering a reboot of the Curious George film franchise. Again, the film will be loosely based on the children’s book series scribed by Hans Augusto Rey and Margret Rey. Larry Stuckey has been hired by the studio to write the script.
We previously reported that plans were already in place for a sequel to Despicable Me, and now it seems Universal are undoubtedly looking for other films to help them find their place in the animation market, alongside the big daddies: Pixar and Dreamworks Animation.
A film version of Curious George was originally attempted in 2006, featuring the voice-talents of Will Ferrell, Drew Barrymore and Eugene Levy, and, despite being well-received by critics, failed to lure a decent-sized audience.
If you are unaware of Curious George, then you can read up on the history, courtesy of the official website:
Curious George by H. A. and Margret Rey was first published by Houghton Mifflin in 1941, and since then books about the mischievous monkey have been capturing the hearts and minds of readers throughout the world. Creators H. A. and Margret Rey wrote seven original tales Curious George and he has become one of the most recognizable and beloved children’s book characters. Curious George is also the star of a PBS Kids television series as well a blockbuster motion picture.
It’s an interesting idea. Curious George certainly has the potential to be a huge success on the big screen, if done correctly. We’ll have to wait and see if Illumination Entertainment have the staying power, or had a very lucky, one-hit-wonder.
Collider reported this one.
