Pippi Longstocking Movie in the Works From Paddington Producers

From LEGO and Transformers to Troll dolls and Barbie, classic toys and stories are having a bit of a resurgence on the big screen. Now, it looks like another iconic character will soon be among them. According to a new report from Deadline, a rebooted take on Pippi Longstocking is currently in development, courtesy of Paddington duo Studiocanal and David Heyman, as well as the Astrid Lindgren Company. The film is expected to follow the titular red-haired girl who has boundless energy, strength, and bravery. The franchise originally spun out of bedtime stories that Lindgren told her young daughter, Karin.

The Pippi Longstocking series began through a trio of children's chapter books published by Lindgren in the 1940s, which spun out into subsequent short stories and picture books. The franchise has sold more than 65 million copies worldwide, and been translated into 77 languages. In the decades since Lindgren's books originally debuted, Pippi Longstocking has made her way into film and television multiple times. These included the 1988 film The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking, which starred Tami Erin as the titular character.

"I am thrilled to collaborate with Thomas Gustafsson, Olle Nyman and their team at the Astrid Lindgren Company and our partners at Studiocanal on this film adaptation of the brilliant and timeless Pippi Longstocking." Heyman, whose producing credits also include Gravity and the Harry Potter franchise, said in a statement. "Pippi has endured and inspired families everywhere through her life force, strength of character and her irrepressible joie de vivre. Astrid Lindgren's books have been translated around the globe for many years – a testament to her vision which we are determined to honour with a new film."

"In David Heyman, with his impressive track-record of bringing great literary works to the screen, together with Studiocanal we are confident that we have found a team that can understand and appreciate the full value of Pippi Longstocking and develop films that capture both the playfulness and the gravity in my grandmother's works." Nils Nyman, grandchild of Astrid Lindgren and CEO at Astrid Lindgren Film, added. "We are therefore very excited and pleased to announce this collaboration. I'm especially thrilled to announce this now, when we're in the midst of planning Pippi Longstocking's upcoming 75th Anniversary in 2020 together with a global campaign in support of Save the Children's important work for Children on the Move."

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