Sony Pictures has released the first poster for Harold and the Purple Crayon, and it suggests that the movie will give Zachary Levi a bit of a Free Guy twist, featuring him surrounded by a wide variety of characters from across genres. The original book (and its six sequels) centered on a four-year-old boy who could bring anything he drew to life, but it looks like the Shazam! star is going to be playing “young at heart” again, with the poster suggesting Levi will play a grown-up Harold who still hasn’t lost his sense of wonder and creativity. Needless to say, fans on social media are scratching their heads trying to figure out how it’s all going to work.
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Sony’s movie is the first time Harold and the Purple Crayon has received the feature-film treatment, but far from the first time the character and his world has been adapted. It was first brought to life as animated short films in 1959, 1971, and 1974, and a 13-episode HBO series in 2002, which was narrated by Sharon Stone.
You can see the main poster (and a second, which just features the crayon itself) below.
Oscar nominee Carlos Saldanha directs the film from a screenplay by Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb creative team David Guion and Michael Handelman. John Davis (Dolemite Is My Name) is producing through Davis Entertainment.
Harold and the Purple Crayon is one of those books that has been licensed a few times, but failed to make it all the way to the big screen. At one point, Steven Spielberg and Will Smith were attached to the project. Should the film be a hit, there is plenty of opportunity for follow-ups. After Harold and the Purple Crayon, the character of Harold appeared in six more books — Harold’s Fairy Tale, Harold’s Trip to the Sky, Harold at the North Pole, Harold’s Circus, A Picture for Harold’s Room, and Harold’s ABC. Of course, some elements of those may be adapted into the first film, since books aimed at young children are so short that stretching one story to feature-length can be difficult.
Directed by Carlos Saldanha (Rio, Ferdinand) in his live-action debut, Harold and the Purple Crayon is about the eponymous young boy who embarks on a magical mission with the help of his purple crayon. The adaptation of Crockett Johnson’s bestselling children’s book will star Zachary Levi (Shazam! Fury of the Gods), Lil Rel Howery (Vacation Friends), Zooey Deschanel (New Girl), Ravi Patel (Wonder Woman 1984), Camille Guaty (Duster), Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education), and Pete Gardner (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend).
