The Neverending Story is set for a big screen revival, with See-Saw Films (Lion, The Royal Hotel) and Michael Ende Productions. Ende’s beloved novel, which was first published in 1979, became a blockbuster hit in Germany, and was translated into dozens of languages, selling millions of copies around the world before Wolfgang Petersen adapted it into a feature film in 1984. that movie became a cult classic, and ever since, the world of The Neverending Story has been a big part of global popular culture. The movie spawned two sequels, the first of which was based on the second half of Ende’s book and the second being an original story.
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The new adaptation is set to be a series, allowing room for plot points from the book to play out over numerous installments rather than trying to put as much as possible into the first film. The deal comes after a reported bidding war by a number of studios on both sides of the Atlantic.
“The Neverending Story is a beloved book that has captured the imagination of generations of fans all over the world,” producers Iain Canning and Emile Sherman told Deadline in a statement. “Bringing literary worlds to screen is part of See-Saw’s DNA, and we are passionate about cinematic storytelling and entertaining audiences. We have such love for the book and are honored to be working with Michael Ende Productions on this collaboration to bring audiences back to Fantastica.”
“The Neverending Story is more than just a story,” added Michael Ende Productions’ Roman Hocke. “It is THE story of all stories, because it tells us, alongside the breathtaking journey of Atréju and Bastian in a fantasy world, the real reason why stories play such an important role in our lives that we want to internalize them in all shapes and forms throughout our lives. Without stories, there would be no individuality, no personalities, no sense of meaning in the world. We want to transform this unique story into a great cinematic work of art for a wide audience. We feel lucky to have See-Saw Films by our side for this great task!”
The Neverending Story was, at the time of its production, the most expensive movie ever made outside of the United States or the Soviet Union. At the time, Ende objected to changes made to his book, slamming the movie and trying to get the title change or his name taken off it. He sued the producers and ultimately lost.
In 2009, Warner Bros., The Kennedy/Marshall Company, and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way were trying to develop another adaptation of Ende’s novel, which they intended to make more of a direct adaptation of the book rather than the ’80s movie. In 2011, producer Kathleen Kennedy said in an interview that they had encountered problems getting the rights for the adaptation, and the project was abandoned.
