Live-Action Toys ‘R’ Us Movie in the Works (With a Sonic the Hedgehog Producer)

“I don’t want to grow up, I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us kid. There’s a million toys at Toys ‘R’ Us that I can play with.” Decades after that jingle became synonymous with the childhoods of ’80s and ’90s kids, some grown up Toys ‘R’ Us kids are turning the iconic toy store brand into a live-action movie. Story Kitchen, a media company specializing in adapting video games and other “non-traditional” IP into films and television shows, is developing the live-action Toys ‘R’ Us movie with Toys”R”Us Studios, according to Variety.

“Toys ‘R’ Us is a cultural touchstone that continues impacting the child in all of us today,” Story Kitchen co-founders Dmitri M. Johnson & Mike Goldberg said in a statement. “As ’80s kids who considered Toys ‘R’ Us one of the most magical places on Earth, we’re honored to partner to create a film that will capture the spirit of adventure, creativity and nostalgia that Toys ‘R’ Us represents.”

The untitled Toys ‘R’ Us movie will be “a modern, fast-paced adventure that taps into the Toys ‘R’ Us brand’s relevance across its more than 70 years in the toy industry” and said to be similar to Night at the Museum, about the Museum of Natural History exhibits that come alive at night.

According to Variety, the movie, which is in early development, is also in the vein of Big and Back to the Future, and toy-based movies like Sony’s Jumanji reboot and Warner Bros.’ blockbuster Barbie movie.

“As Toys ‘R’ Us’ first film, this project is an exciting opportunity to bring the magic of our brand to the big screen,” said Kim Miller Olko, president of Toys ‘R’ Us Studios. “It will be a journey as boundless as play itself, evoking the electric sense of wonder that is the essence of Toys ‘R’ Us. This story will capture the imagination, adventure and joy that has made Toys ‘R’ Us a destination for kids of all ages.”

The report adds that producers are having preliminary talks with potential filmmakers, with casting and additional details expected in the months ahead.

Johnson, a producer of the Paramount-based Sonic the Hedgehog franchise based on the Sega video games, launched Story Kitchen with Goldberg in 2022. Besides the hit Sonic trilogy, Story Kitchen teamed with Netflix on the animated series Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, Amazon MGM Studios for the live-action Tomb Raider from Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the upcoming Streets of Rage adaptation in the works at Lionsgate, and Paul W.S. Anderson’s House of the Dead reboot film.

Johnson and Goldberg are producing with Timothy I. Stevenson (Accidental Love) and Elena Sandoval (Sifu) for Story Kitchen with Olko producing for Toys ‘R’ Us Studios. In 2024, Olko and Toys ‘R’ Us Studios produced a 67-second brand film during the 2024 Cannes Lions Festival. The short — which depicts a young Charles Lazarus, founder of Toys ‘R’ Us and creator of Geoffrey the Giraffe, dreaming of a magical place that will change toy stores forever — was the first-ever brand film created using OpenAI’s new text-to-video tool, Sora.