Monster High Toy Line Getting Live-Action Movie

This is the third live-action movie in the last five years -- but the first that is planned for a theatrical release.

By Russ Burlingame

Monster High is the latest Mattel property entering development as a feature film following the success of Barbie last year. Universal Pictures, Mattel, and Academy Award-winning producer/screenwriter Akiva Goldsman will team up to make the movie a reality. Goldsman, who is also working on Mattel's Major Matt Mason with star Tom Hanks, is also ostensibly working on a sequel to 2005's Constantine, with Keanu Reeves set to return if if ever gets off the ground. The writer of A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man, Goldsman has spent the last few years as showrunner on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Originally launched in 2010, Monster High falls in line with "spooky" kids entertainment in the vein of Hotel Transylvania or the '90s Beetlejuice cartoon. It centers on a group of characters, each of whom represents a classic monster archetyle overlaid on a fashion doll's body. The premise is that these are the teenage children of famous monsters.

"Monster High helps fans discover the great beauty in being true to yourself and celebrates the unique sensibilities at the core of who we are as individuals," Mattel Films president Robbie Brenner said in a statement (via Variety). "We're proud to partner with Universal Pictures and the brilliant Akiva Goldsman to usher this important message to audiences worldwide."

"I've been fascinated by Monster High since my daughters were obsessed with the dolls as kids," Goldsman said. "I'm thrilled to once again join forces with Robbie Brenner and our friends at Mattel to help bring this iconic property to life."  

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Monster High has come to the screen again and again since it was first created, with an average of more than one animated special per year coming between 2010 and 2017. After a short hiatus, Nickelodeon brought back a Monster High animated series, which is currently in its second season. In both 2023 and 2024, there were also live-action movies featuring the characters. It isn't clear whether the theatrical movie will mean an end to those.

After Barbie became the biggest movie of 2023, Mattel Films put an aggressive slate into production, finally taking Hollywood as seriously as their biggest competitor, Hasbro, does. Other projects in various stages of development at Mattel Films include American Girl, Barney, Hot Wheels, Bob the Builder, Magic 8 Ball, Masters of the Universe, Matchbox, Polly Pocket, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, Thomas & Friends, UNO, View-Master, and Wishbone.

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