The Creators of NAPOLEON DYNAMITE and NACHO LIBRE Are Developing an Adaptation of THELMA THE UNICORN For Netflix
After a big studio bidding war, Netflix has landed the rights to the celebrated children’s novel Thelma The Unicorn, which was written by Aaron Blabey. It was also announced that Jared and Jarusha Hess will be developing the project. They are best known for bringing us Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre. Jared Hess will direct the animated film, which will be developed as a musical.
For those of you not familiar with the story of Thelma The Unicorn, here’s a description:
When a rare pink and glitter-filled moment of fate makes Thelma the Pony’s wish of being a unicorn come true, she rises to instant international pop-superstar stardom, but at an unexpected cost. The message of Thelma the Unicorn is about learning to love who you are, even if you don’t have sparkles.
The Hess’ had this to say in a joint statement:
“We are huge fans of Aaron’s work. The lovable misfits in his books feel right at home for us. It is a dream come true to be collaborating with him and Netflix on an animated feature of Thelma the Unicorn.”
Blabey added:
“I’m beyond excited that my beautiful phoney Unicorn is going to sparkle her way onto the screen in a big, glittery Netflix film. Thelma is so ready for her close-up!”
The last film that Hess directed was a movie called Masterminds with Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson, Kristen Wiig, and others. He also directed episodes of the Will Forte series The Last Man on Earth. He seems like a good choice to take on this property and it’ll be interesting to see how it turns out.
Source: Deadline