Sony Pictures has reportedly acquired the screen rights to the Chinese doll brand Labubu, with plans to launch a franchise based on the scruffy monster toy line.
No producer or filmmaker is attached at this stage with the deal only signed this week. It is also not yet determined if the film will be either live-action or animated.
Designed by artist Kasing Lung and initially made by How2 Work, Labubu took off when Chinese retailer Pop Mart began selling them in 2019.
As they were sold via ‘blind boxes’, so buyers never know what actual character are acquiring until they open the package, it has caused a huge surge in demand along with a secondary market where people pay huge prices for the rarest ones.
Toys inspiring movies have become a more serious business in recent years, with the success of “The LEGO Movie” a decade ago and more recently “Barbie” becoming a billion-dollar hit. The new “Masters of the Universe” is expected to be one of the bigger films of next Summer.
Sony Pictures is coming off the massive success of its animated feature “KPop Demon Hunters” which was released via Netflix and has become a cultural sensation.
Source: THR
