Emily the Strange will star in her own Movie!
Here is a character that was created by Santa Cruz skateboarder Rob Reger. He put Emily on t-shirts, stickers and skateboards in the early 90's. From there it just blew up! She became a multimillion dollar business spawning toys, comics, and school supplies. It just shows you never know where a small idea might end up. I'm sure Rob never thought his character design would be made into a movie. Now Dark Horse Entertainment will turn this female anit-conformity icon into a film. President of Dark horse Mike Richardson will be producing the film. The movie will tell the origin of the gothic figure and her four mysterious cats. Here is what Hollywood Reporter has to say:
"Emily's" connection with Richardson comes from the comic book line Dark Horse publishes. The company began publishing the title in 2005, with "Emily the Strange #1: Chairman of the Bored," which was followed by several other popular miniseries.
"Emily herself is very appealing little girl, there's an edge to her," Richardson said. "There is something very alluring to her image; people see it and respond to it immediately."
Richardson, who's been a producer on such films as "Hellboy" and its upcoming sequel as well as "30 Days of Night," said he and Reger will be looking for a filmmaker who "gets the character." The filmmaker choice may in turn dictate what format will serve the story best: live-action, animation, or a combination of the two. The project is not yet set-up at a studio, though Universal is a contender as Dark Horse has a first-look deal there.
The story line is being kept under wraps, though Reger, who concocted it, said it will offer up some backstory and will feature Emily's four cats -- troublemaker Sabbath, schemer Nee-Chee, imaginative Miles and leader Mystery. It will also have 13 new characters with names like Earwig, Umlaut, McFreeley and Officer Summers. The story forms the basis of an "Emily" young adult novel, which will be published next year by HarperCollins.
Reger, who is influenced by Dr. Suess and M.C. Escher among others in his designs, said Emily's popularity is due to the character's punk fashion sense, the clean and direct graphic quality of her design, her feline companions, and the message of empowerment she represents.
"In their life, everybody has, especially in the teenage years, looked to find themselves and felt like they don't fit in," said Reger. "Emily represents that person, but in a positive light. She prefers to be different and to look at things in her own way. She's a great role model for people to think for themselves."
I wonder if they will do the film in animation or live action.
-Dr. Venkman