Apr 1, 2021

Laika Moves into Live Action, Plans Film Adaptation of Action-Thriller Novel "Seventeen"

Laika, the Hillsboro, Oregon-based studio behind stop-motion films such as "Coraline," "Kubo and the Two Strings," and "The Missing Link," is expanding into live action. The company has optioned screenwriter John Brownlow's debut novel "Seventeen" and will adapt it into a live-action feature.

The novel, to be published in the U.S. next year by Hanover Square, is described as an action thriller. Brownlow is working with Leica to develop the film adaptation. His screenwriting credits include the Sylvia Plath biopic Sylvia (2003), starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and the BBC three-part limited series The Miniaturist (executive producer).

Announcing the news, Leica President and CEO Travis Knight (image above) said, "For the past 15 years, Leica has been dedicated to making films that matter. Across media and genres, our studio has blended art, craft and technology for bold, distinctive and enduring stories, and with Seventeen, Leica is taking that philosophy in an exciting new direction."

Leica's five films have earned five Academy Award nominations, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe. The studio is currently working on a sixth animated feature film, details of which have not been released. However, box office revenues for its films have been on the decline; in 2019, The Missing Link grossed only $26.3 million worldwide, despite a budget of more than $100 million.

Meanwhile, Knight staged his own entry into live action: after making his directorial debut with 2016's Kubo and the Two Strings, he directed Paramount's live-action Bumblebee and now Warner Bros.' live-action The Six Billion Dollar Man," which he is set to direct. In this light, Laika's move does not seem surprising.