Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jason Reitman has been tapped by DreamWorks Animation to write and direct ‘Beekle,’ an animated adaptation of Dan Santat’s award-winning children’s book, ‘The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend.’
‘Beekle’ is the story of an imaginary friend who is so odd and so unique that no kid could possibly imagine him. So he decides to take matters into his own hands, and sets off on an unimaginable journey to the land of people in search of a best friend.
“Welcoming Jason onto this project is a true coup, as his incredible ability to tell heartfelt character-driven stories with a signature comedic tone makes him the perfect choice to bring this beloved book to the big screen,” said DreamWorks Animation’s recently appointed Co-Presidents of Feature Animation Bonnie Arnold and Mireille Soria. “We immediately fell in love with the concept of ‘Beekle’ and know that Jason will create something truly special from this fantastic source material.”
‘Beekle’ is the first foray into animation for Reitman, the celebrated director of films including the Academy Award-nominated ‘Juno,’ ‘Thank You For Smoking,’ ‘Young Adult,’ ‘Labor Day,’ ‘Men, Women & Children,’ and the Academy Award-nominated ‘Up in the Air,’ for which he earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay.
“I was book shopping with my daughter, when a little tooth-shaped character in a paper crown stole our hearts,” Reitman added. “His name was Beekle and I’m honoured 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.”