First Live-Action ‘Tom & Jerry’ Concept Art Surfaces

With production potentially set to begin sometime this year, it looks as though some leaked concept art has revealed what Warner Bros. is aiming for with its live-action/animation hybrid, Tom & Jerry.

On Tuesday night, a photo surfaced on Twitter showing off a piece of concept art tacked to a wall. In the image, a live-action actress can be seen standing in the center, with Jerry standing on her shoulder and Tom standing beside her.

As you can see, the actress depicted in the image is modeled after Jennifer Lawrence. That doesn’t mean that the she is attached to the project in any way. This art is just showing what Lawrence would look like in the role as a way of selling the concept of the movie, and it indicates that the studio would love to have Lawrence sign on to star.

Back in October, Variety broke the news that Warner Bros. had put the live-action Tom & Jerry movie into development as part of a move to enhance its popular animated franchises. Shaft and Ride Along director Tim Story was signed on to helm the new project. To ensure that the movie is as good as it can be, the studio is making a substantial effort to get both the animation and live-action departments working hand-in-hand, rather than just allowing one to oversee it.

Tom & Jerry will likely be the first of the live-action/animation hybrids to head into production, with the studio aiming to begin sometime this year. At this time, there is no indication as to exactly when filming could start. The movie will be filmed in the real world, with animated versions of Tom & Jerry included in the action. Like the classic cartoons, neither of these characters will speak, so there will be no need to cast voice actors.

In addition to Tom & Jerry, the other live-action/animation hybrid going into production this year is Space Jam 2, which is being produced by Lebron James, who will also take over as the franchise star for Michael Jordan. Terence Nance is set to direct with Black Panther‘s Ryan Coogler signed on to produce.