At almost 45 years of age, Hello Kitty is finally making her mark in Hollywood – and it’s not just ‘kitty-backing’ on some other productions but as a star in her own movie!
“I am extremely pleased that Hello Kitty and other popular Sanrio characters will be making their Hollywood debut,” said Sanrio founder Shintaro Tsuji, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter.
“Hello Kitty has long been a symbol of friendship and we hope this film will only serve to grow that circle of friendship around the world.”
The Japanese company behind the iconic feline and other adorable characters – such as her best friend, the white rabbit My Melody; the pudding-like golden retriever Pompompurin; and the lazy egg Gudetama – has given Warner Bros. label New Line Cinema and Flynn Picture Company the rights to develop the movie.
This not only marks Hello Kitty’s first English-language movie but also the first time that Sanrio has granted film rights to its characters to a major studio.
The search for writers is currently on. As it is still in development, it is not known whether the movie will be an animated version or a live-action adaptation.
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| So many cuties to choose from and this photo doesn’t even feature all the Sanrio characters. |
Aside from Hello Kitty, the other characters that will be appearing in the movie have not been confirmed. It could be expected that her boyfriend Dear Daniel will make an appearance, as well as her lesser known twin sister Mimmy (identified by her yellow bow, Hello Kitty wears a red bow).
Released in 1974, with her birthday officially announced in 2018 as 1 November, Hello Kitty has since appeared on not only various products but also TV series, manga and anime films.
Previously, plans for her own English movie were revealed in 2015, to be produced under the U.S.-based Sanrio Media & Pictures Entertainment and slated for release this year. But with this latest update, looks like fans will be saying Hello to Kitty on the big screen later than 2019.