Dreamworks Is Developing A Feature Based On Dav Pilkey’s ‘Dog Man’ Books, ‘Animaniacs’ Writer Peter Hastings Attached To Direct

An adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man is in the works at Dreamworks Animation. The studio recently optioned the rights to the monstrously popular graphic novel series for kids, which Pilkey writes and illustrates.

Here are the details:

• The first of Pilkey’s books, which follow the exploits of a canine-human hybrid who fights crime, was published by 2016 by Scholastic. The nine installments to date have nearly 40 million copies in print between them, and have all been #1 bestsellers.
• Peter Hastings, who came to prominence as a writer on Steven Spielberg’s Nineties series like Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain, is attached to direct the adaptation. The multi-Emmy-winning writer and producer joined Dreamworks in 2011, and has worked on its series Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness and The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants.
• Pilkey has written and illustrated a number of bestselling kids’ books, including the Captain Underpants series, which has sold over 90 million copies worldwide.
• His Captain Underpants book series inspired the 2017 Dreamworks feature Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, on which Pilkey served as executive producer, and the spin-off series The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants. The film is an anomaly in the Dreamworks catalogue, in that its animation was outsourced — to Mikros Image in Montreal. It grossed $125.4 million on a reported budget of $38 million.
• Hastings said: “This is my second project based on Dav Pilkey’s books and I’m very excited to take his funny, clever, emotional, and ultimately inspirational Dog Man and make it move! Not just by telling the story, but by absorbing and building on his great sensibility, bringing it to the screen with deep respect to his gazillion fans — ’cause I’m one of them.”
• Pilkey added: “I am humbled and grateful to once again work with the brilliant Peter Hastings and the outstanding team at Dreamworks Animation.”
• Pilkey is represented by Amy Berkower at Writers House LLC, Kassie Evashevski at Anonymous Content, and Jamie Coghill at Surpin, Mayersohn & Coghill, LLP. Hastings is represented by The Gotham Group.