Hello Kitty is heading to the big screen in a live-action and animation hybrid film at Warner Bros., with two directors now attached to the project, according to a report by Collider. David Derrick Jr., who directed Moana 2, and John Aoshima, director of Ultraman: Rising, will co-direct the feature.
The Hello Kitty franchise, owned by Japanese company Sanrio, was introduced in 1974 and ranks as the 10th-highest-grossing global franchise, sitting between Harry Potter and Call of Duty. The property has appeared in numerous animated TV shows and web series over the decades but has not yet had a major theatrical film release in the West.
The project was first announced in 2019, when New Line Cinema attached itself to the film. It has now found a home at Warner Bros., with a release scheduled approximately two years out. Ramsey Naito, a producer on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, and Beau Flynn, a producer on Black Adam, are attached as producers. Lindsey Beer, who wrote the screenplay for Chaos Walking, is handling the script.
The film arrives at a moment when Japanese intellectual property has gained significant momentum in Hollywood. Anime has become a dominant force in streaming and recently made a notable impact at the box office. The Pokemon franchise, which originated in Japan in 1996, is currently listed as the world's highest-grossing media franchise of all time, a fact that makes the Western expansion of other Japanese properties a logical business move.
No cast has been announced for the Hello Kitty film. With a target release roughly two years away and directors only recently confirmed, casting and production details are expected to follow in the coming months.
