Harold and the Purple Crayon | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Carlos Saldanha |
Screenplay by |
|
Based on | Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson |
Produced by | John Davis |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Gabriel Beristain |
Edited by |
|
Music by | Batu Sener |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Harold and the Purple Crayon is an upcoming American live-action/animated fantasy comedy film directed by Carlos Saldanha from a screenplay by David Guion and Michael Handelman, based on the 1955 children's book of the same title by Crockett Johnson. It will star Zachary Levi in the titular role, with Lil Rel Howery, Jemaine Clement, Tanya Reynolds, and Zooey Deschanel in supporting roles. The film serves as a sequel to the original book, where, after the adventurous Harold grows up with his magical purple crayon and draws himself off the book's pages and into the physical world, he finds that he has a lot to learn about real life.
Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with producer John Davis through Davis Entertainment, the film is scheduled to be released in the United States by Sony Pictures Releasing on August 2, 2024, in theaters.
In 1992, John B. Carls formed the family-film production company, Wild Things Productions, with Maurice Sendak, writer and illustrator of Where the Wild Things Are . They acquired rights to other children's books, including Harold and the Purple Crayon, whose author, Crockett Johnson, was a mentor to Sendak. Sendak and Denise Di Novi were producers. [11] In 1994, Michael Tolkin was brought in to write the script and Henry Selick was to direct, but Selick moved on to James and the Giant Peach for Walt Disney Pictures. Carls picked Spike Jonze to develop the film, a combination of live action and animation. David O. Russell was brought in to help with rewrites. [12] Multiple screenplays, casting, storyboards, and animation work started, but Jonze had to abandon the project after more than a year of working on it when new management at TriStar Pictures stopped it, two months before principal photography was to begin. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]
In February 2010, it was reported that Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, and Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment were developing an animated film adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon, to be produced by Smith and James Lassiter and written by Josh Klausner. [17] [18] In December 2016, it was reported that the film would also be written by Dallas Clayton. [19]
On February 1, 2021, it was reported that Zachary Levi would star in the film, [2] though it was initially not stated what role he would play at that time, except that the film would now be a combination of live-action and animation. It was also announced that Carlos Saldanha was attached to direct the new film and that David Guion and Michael Handelman replaced Klausner and Clayton as screenwriters, with John Davis producing under his Davis Entertainment banner. Lil Rel Howery was announced as part of the cast on January 11, 2022. [4] Zooey Deschanel and Ravi Patel were added in February 2022. [5] [8] Camille Guaty was cast on March 1, 2022. [9] Tanya Reynolds and Pete Gardner joined in May 2022. [7] [10] In January 2024, it was revealed that Jemaine Clement had joined the cast, uniting with Saldanha after having previously voiced Nigel in Rio (2011) and its sequel, Rio 2 (2014), [6] while Alfred Molina was revealed to be as the narrator.
Around the beginning of 2022, live-action filming took place in the Atlanta, Georgia, area. [20] [21] [22] Gabriel Beristain served as the cinematographer. [23]
Tia Nolan serves as an editor for the film. [24]
The visual effects were provided by Rising Sun Pictures, Folks VFX, Soho VFX, Opsis, Clear Angle Studio, Spin VFX, Nexodus and Mammal Studios, while the 2D animated sequences provided by Bent Image Lab.
In February 2023, Batu Sener, who previously provided additional music to films composed by Saldanha's frequent collaborator John Powell, was announced to be composing the film's score. [25]
Harold and the Purple Crayon is scheduled to be released in theaters on August 2, 2024. [26] It was originally scheduled to be released on January 27, 2023, [27] and June 30, 2023. [28]
The first teaser posters were released on March 13, 2024, confirming that Harold will be played by Levi and that the character, originally a kid, will be portrayed as a grown man in the film. [3] A trailer for the film was released on March 20, 2024. [29] A second trailer was released on May 22, 2024.[ citation needed ]
Davis Entertainment is an American independent film and television production company, founded by John Davis in 1984.
Zachary Levi Pugh is an American actor. He starred as Chuck Bartowski in the series Chuck, and as the title character in Shazam! and its 2023 sequel.
Carlos Saldanha is a Brazilian animator, director, producer, and voice actor of animated films who worked with Blue Sky Studios until its closure in 2021. He was the director of Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Rio (2011), Rio 2 (2014), Ferdinand (2017), Harold and the Purple Crayon (2024) and the co-director of Ice Age (2002) and Robots (2005). Saldanha was nominated in 2003 for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Gone Nutty and in 2018 for Best Animated Feature for Ferdinand.
Harold and the Purple Crayon is a 1955 children's picture book written and illustrated by Crockett Johnson. Published by HarperCollins Publishers, it is Johnson's most popular book, and has led to a series of other related books, as well as many adaptations. The story is written in third-person point-of-view, and follows a young boy on an imaginative adventure through the night.
Original Film is an American film and television production company founded by Neal H. Moritz. Notable films the company has produced include the Fast & Furious franchise.
Roadside Attractions, LLC is an American production company and film distributor based in Los Angeles, California, founded on July 27, 2000, by Howard Cohen and Eric d'Arbeloff, specializing largely in independent films. Lionsgate bought a portion of Roadside in 2007.
Stage 6 Films, Inc. is an American film production label of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions that acquires and produces feature films that are low budget and that are being released direct-to-disc, on demand, or through streaming services. Some of their films are also being released theatrically. Once a film is finished, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions will decide if the film will be released theatrically or on a different platform.
The Driftless Area is a 2015 Canadian-American neo-noir dramedy film directed by Zachary Sluser and starring Anton Yelchin, Zooey Deschanel, and John Hawkes. Alia Shawkat, Aubrey Plaza, Frank Langella, and Ciarán Hinds also appear in supporting roles. The film is based on the 2006 novel of the same title by Tom Drury, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sluser.
Tanya Louise Reynolds is an English actress. She landed her first major role as a series regular on the Sky 1 comedy-drama Delicious (2016–2019). Reynolds portrayed Lily Iglehart on the Netflix comedy-drama Sex Education (2019–2021), where she was a part of the main cast in the first three seasons. Other credits include Outlander (2017), Death in Paradise (2017), Emma (2020), Dodger (2022), The Baby (2022), I Hate You (2022), and The Decameron (2024).
Fatherhood is a 2021 American comedy-drama film directed by Paul Weitz from a screenplay by Weitz and Dana Stevens based on the 2011 memoir Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love by Matthew Logelin. The film stars Kevin Hart, Alfre Woodard, Frankie R. Faison, Lil Rel Howery, DeWanda Wise, Anthony Carrigan, Melody Hurd, and Paul Reiser, and follows a new father who struggles to raise his daughter after the sudden death of his wife.
Vacation Friends is a 2021 American buddy comedy film directed by Clay Tarver, and co-written by Tom Mullen, Tim Mullen, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. The film stars John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji, Meredith Hagner, Robert Wisdom, Lynn Whitfield, and Andrew Bachelor.
Dreamin' Wild is a 2022 American biographical drama film written, directed, and produced by Bill Pohlad, and starring Casey Affleck, Noah Jupe, Zooey Deschanel, Walton Goggins, and Beau Bridges. Its storyline is based on the life of singer-musician brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson.
The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile is an 2022 American documentary film, directed and co-produced by Kathlyn Horan. It follows Tanya Tucker returning to the studio to record her first album in 10 years, While I'm Livin', collaborating with Brandi Carlile.
Animal Friends is an upcoming American live-action/animated road action comedy film directed by Peter Atencio and written by Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa, Vince Vaughn, Aubrey Plaza, Addison Rae, Dan Levy, Lil Rel Howery, and Joaquim de Almeida.
We Grown Now is a 2023 American drama film written, directed and co-produced by Minhal Baig. It stars Blake Cameron James, Gian Knight Ramirez, S. Epatha Merkerson, Avery Holliday, Ora Jones, Lil Rel Howery and Jurnee Smollett.
The Throwback is a 2023 American comedy film written and directed by Mario Garcia in his directorial debut. The film stars Justina Machado as a mother who is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, causing her to regress to her college-student, party-going persona, but who eventually learns the party life will never replace the love for her family. The film also stars Will Sasso, Gregg Sulkin, Michelle Randolph and Bobby Lee. It initially screened at the Tampa Theatre on May 3, 2023, and was released by Myriad Pictures on March 15, 2024.
Code 3 is an upcoming American action comedy film written by Christopher Leone and Patrick Pianezza, directed by Leone and starring Rainn Wilson, Lil Rel Howery and Aimee Carrero.