From Mighty Mouse To Spice Girls: Paramount Animation Reveals Slate Of Upcoming Features

Paramount Animation president Mireille Soria recently revealed the studio’s upcoming slate of feature film projects.

Paramount intends to have two animated release a year starting in 2020 with The SpongeBob Movie: It’s a Wonderful Sponge.

Below is a list of the projects announced by Soria in a recent Hollywood Reporter piece. Notably, Soria did not speak about the films that Paramount is co-producing with Skydance Animation, the studio now headed by John Lasseter. Soria was reportedly furious at Skydance’s hiring of Lasseter and told her executive staff at Paramount that they shouldn’t feel obligated to work with the disgraced Pixar creative chief.

• Rumble
  Scheduled for release in July 2020, Rumble is an adaptation of Rob Harrell’s graphic novel Monster on a Hill, to be directed by Hamish Grieve (head of story, Rise of the Guardians), and produced in partnership with ReelFX and Walden Media. When the project was originally announced in 2018, its director was Bradley Raymond.
• Spice Girls
  The studio is in early development on a feature based on the popular ’90s British pop group Spice Girls. All five members of the group are on board, and Karen McCullah and Kiwi Smith will write the screenplay. Simon Fuller will produce. The musical film will feature some of the group’s most iconic songs, as well as new music. Soria told THR that the film is based on an idea that came from the group, and that “they are very involved.”
• Imagine Entertainment & Animal Logic
  Paramount Animation has signed first-look deal with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment and Australian animation studio Animal Logic (The Lego Movie francise, Happy Feet), who entered into a joint venture back in 2017. The companies are currently in development on two animated features, with Howard attached to direct one of them.
• The Tiger’s Apprentice
  Set for a February 11, 2022 release, The Tiger’s Apprentice is an adaptation of the book series by Laurence Yep. David Magee (Life of Pi) and Harry Cripps are writing the screenplay. The mythology-infused story follows a Chinese-American teenager who meets a talking tiger and discovers he is the latest in a line of magical guardians whose job is to protect an ancient phoenix. Carlos Baena (La Noria) is directing the feature with Jane Startz serving as producer, and Raman Hui (Monster Hunt) and Kane Lee as executive producers.
• Jersey Crabs
  Scheduled for summer 2022, Jersey Crabs is described as a Grease-like musical that takes place on the Jersey Shore and centers on a conflict between tourist sea crabs and local land crabs. No director is attached, but Lorene Scafaria is writing the screenplay. David Dobkin will produce; Megan Wolpert Dobkin will executive produce.
• Mighty Mouse
  The previously announced Mighty Mouse cg/live-action hybrid is in early development and has Jon and Erich Hoeber as screenwriters, and Karen Rosenfelt and Bob Cort as producers.