I Kill Giants Movie Announced

I Kill Giants, Joe Kelly's critically acclaimed graphic novel with illustrator and co-creator Ken Niimura, is headed to the big screen, Kelly announced tonight. The story centers on a young misfit girl battling both real and imagined monsters in her life.

Treehouse Pictures has come on to fully finance the film, which is set to be Anders Walter's feature length directorial debut. Walter is best known for writing and directing the 2014 Academy Award-winning live action short Helium.

Chris Columbus is producing through his 1492 Pictures/Ocean Blue Entertainment, along withTreehouse, Man of Action Entertainment andXYZ Films. Kelly wrote the screenplay adaptation based on his own graphic novel. The producers are currently casting, with production targeted for later this year.  XYZ is handling world sales on the project.

"Joe Kelly has written a deeply insightful story about a child using fantasy to navigate through a harsh reality, and I am excited and proud to finally be able to bring this wonderful material to the screen," Columbus said in a statement.

"I'm overwhelmed by the enthusiasm, vision and sheer talent of the team we've assembled," said Kelly. "Chris and Anders understand the book on an instinctive level and will translate it into a hell of a film. I could not be happier."

Kelly is a partner in Man of Action Entertainment, creators of the team and characters in Academy Award winner Big Hero 6, and creators of Ben 10. I Kill Giants was published under the Man of Action imprint at Image Comics.

I Kill Giants won a Gaiman Award in 2013 (an overseas manga award selected by readers); the International Manga Award in 2012; was named to the "Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens" in 2010 by the Young Adult Library Services Association; as well as "Best Indy Book of 2008" by IGN and was an Eisner Award finalist.