Legendary Pictures is known for producing some of the biggest budget movies of all time, think Interstellar, The Dark Knight Trilogy, and 300. It is also the home of the Monsterverse, bringing to Hollywood the literal giants of the screen in the form of Godzilla and King Kong. So with their latest purchase of the children’s book, Danny and the Dinosaur, many are wondering how exactly this friendly monster will appear.
The classic children’s book was written by Syd Hoff and published by HarperCollins in 1958. It follows a young boy, Danny as he befriends a dinosaur at the museum and the two go on adventures together. These adventures include taking a trip to the big city, visiting the zoo, or simply getting ice cream. A little more benign than destroying Manhatten or climbing up the Empire State building whilst being shot at with planes wouldn’t you say?
Since its publication, the book has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 12 languages. HarperCollins Productions optioned the media rights to the book from the Author’s Guild Foundation before then turning to Legendary to adapt it for the big screen. This comes on the heels of Legendary Pictures signing a deal with Sony that takes them under its wing, meaning that Legendary Pictures will be globally distributed by Sony. This does not include China, where Legendary East will still handle distribution.
It is unsure just how the book will be adapted for the big screen, though of course there is no better place for a dinosaur. Legendary already has some experience working with the creatures after producing Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. We hope though that in the case of Danny and the Dinosaur, Danny won’t have to worry so much about being eaten.
