Jason Reitman’s next directorial effort has been announced and it’s going to be a DreamWorks Animation adaptation of the book The Adventures Of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend. This is the first project developed since DreamWorks Animations’ restructuring and looks to be Reitman’s feature followup to 2014’s Men, Women & Children.
The Adventures Of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend was written and illustrated by The New York Times bestselling author Dan Santat, and subsequently named 2015’s “most distinguished American picture book for children,” thus being awarded the Caldecott Medal. According to Deadline, the newly announced adaptation will be written and directed by Reitman and overseen by DWA development exec Damon Ross and Head of Development Gregg Taylor.
The story follows an imaginary friend, born far away on an unknown island. He waits patiently for a real child to choose him but is continually overlooked and eventually decides to take control of his own fate. Forging out on an incredible journey to the bustling city, he ultimately meets his perfect match for a best friend… the one who give him his special name of Beekle.
Reitman previously honed gems such as Thank You for Smoking and the Oscar-winning Juno. More recently, he directed the George Clooney-led Up in the Air, the enjoyable but somewhat overlooked Young Adult and the dark and depressing Labor Day (Kate Winslet & Josh Brolin). His last film Men, Women & Children, which debuted at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, offered an interesting perspective on peoples’ relationship to technology.
This will be the writer/director’s first foray into animation and, from the sounds of it above, it’ll likely be something to look forward to. Needless to say, Reitman sounds fairly excited about the project.
“I was book shopping with my daughter, when a little tooth-shaped character in a paper crown stole our hearts,” said Reitman. “His name was Beekle and I’m honored to now be adapting Santat’s charming story into a feature film.”
Reitman is currently filming episodes for the upcoming Hulu comedy series Casual, expected to debut in July.
William Fanelli is a contributor to Flickering Myth – You can follow him on Twitter
Originally published May 28, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
