Universal Pictures is developing anadaptationofK.A. Applegate’s best selling book seriesAnimorphs. The books were previously adapted into a 1998 TV series entitled Animorphs, which ran for two seasons on Nickelodeon and starredShawn Ashmore, Boris Cabrera, Brooke Nevin and Paulo Costanzo. Deborah Forte has signed on to produce, although it isn’t known how far into development this project is.
TheAnimorphsbooks followed a group ofteenswho come across a crashedalienspaceship. The dying alien grants them each the power to transform into any animal they think of, as they dub themselves theAnimorphs. The young teens use these new powers to take on a group of aliens who have invaded our planet in secret, disguised as humans. It isn’t known if there is a specific story in the long-running book series that will be used for this adaptation.
There were 54Animorphsnovels that were published, which became recognizable since each book cover would showcase a character transforming into an animal. Producer Deborah Forte’s company SilverTongue Films was specifically formed to oversee adaptations of Scholastic Books properties, through a three-year deal withUniversal Pictures. While this project doesn’t have a writer or director attached, the studio is currently seeking filmmakers.
The Tracking Board’s report reveals the studio wants a writer to craft a story that heavily focuses onsci-fiaspects of this story. They are also contemplating bringing in a writer-director with a proven eye for sci-fi material, with filmmakers such asJoe Cornish(Attack the Block) andGavin Hood(Ender’s Game) mentioned as “templates” for the type of filmmaker they’re seeking. It isn’t known if the studio is actually reaching out to those aforementioned filmmakers or not.
Deborah Forte served as an executive producer on the original Animorphs TV series, and she also executive produces Sony’sGoosebumpsadaptation, arriving in theaters this October. She is also working on Universal’sClifford the Big Red Dogadaptation that is currently in development. Are you excited to see theAnimorphshit the big screen?
