<\/p>\n
After several years in development, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and New Line Cinema are finally moving ahead with the \u201cHello Kitty\u201d feature film, dating it for July 21, 2028.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello Hollywood \ud83c\udf80\ud83c\udf34\ud83c\udfac #HelloKittyMovie<\/a> is coming to theaters July 21, 2028!,\u201d said an Instagram post <\/a>from the studio on Wednesday.<\/p>\n More from Variety<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe film marks Hello Kitty\u2019s Hollywood\u00a0theatrical debut as Hello Kitty and her friends embark on a cinematic adventure sure to delight audiences of all ages,\u201d the studio said in a statement.<\/p>\n Leo Matsuda is directing, while Dana Fox (\u201cWicked\u201d) wrote the most recent draft of the script. Matsuda directed the short \u201cInner Workings\u201d and worked as a story artist on films including \u201cZootopia\u201d and \u201cWreck-It Ralph.\u201d<\/p>\n Producer Beau Flynn of FlynnPictureCo., spent nearly a decade working with Sanrio founder Shintaro Tsuji to get rights to the character. Shelby Thomas will oversee for FlynnPictureCo.<\/p>\n Japan\u2019s Sanrio first introduced the adorable big-headed feline in 1974 and quickly unleashed a merchandising juggernaut, with entire stores devoted to thousands of items branded with Hello Kitty and her friends, such as Dear Daniel and superhero alter ego Ichigoman. There\u2019s a Hello Kitty theme park in Japan, Hello Kitty caf\u00e9s, dozens of video games and numerous collaborations for high-end clothing and other adult-targeted products.<\/p>\n The English-language feature project was first announced<\/a> by New Line in 2019, and was the first time Sanrio had licensed film rights to the classic cat. It\u2019s not yet known whether Kitty White (yes, she has a last name) will speak in the film, but lacking a mouth, she has been completely silent to date in several animated series about her adventures. Sanrio also licensed rights to other characters, including the cracked egg character Gudetama, the rabbit character My Melody, and Little Twin Stars, so it wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see them play in the same sandbox as Hello Kitty.<\/p>\n Matsuda is repped by Verve and manager Stacey Lubliner\u2019s SEL media company.<\/p>\n Best of Variety<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n