DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. today announced that Peter Ramsey, director of the Company’s hit Halloween special, “Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space,” is set to direct The Guardians (working title), the previously announced film based on “The Guardians of Childhood,” a series of highly anticipated children’s books by William Joyce. Pulitzer Prize winning writer David Lindsay-Abaire (upcoming Spider-Man 4) has signed on to write the script.
In addition to directing “Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space,” Ramsey served as Head of Story on DreamWorks Animation’s Monsters vs. Aliens and has served as a storyboard artist on a number of live action feature films. Lindsay-Abaire was most recently nominated for a Tony Award® for his Book and Lyrics for “Shrek The Musical.” His Pulitzer Prize winning play, “The Rabbit Hole” has been made into a feature film, for which he wrote the script.
The project will be produced by Christina Steinberg and Nancy Bernstein and executive produced by Michael Siegel, Joyce’s manager. DreamWorks Animation acquired the property from Reel FX where the characters and the world of “The Guardians of Childhood” were developed in a partnership with William Joyce. Joyce will also serve as co-director. DreamWorks Animation’s The Guardians is scheduled to be released on November 2, 2012.
“The Guardians of Childhood” is a multi-story saga detailing the adventures of the immortal Guardians, who are sworn to protect children from the forces of evil. The books will be published as a series that features Joyce’s distinctive illustrations and chronicles the origins of several childhood mythic figures, including Santa Claus, Jack Frost, The Easter Bunny and The Man in the Moon. Each book will highlight one character and will serve as back stories for characters that will be the subject of the full length feature film version.
DreamWorks Animation Co-President of Production, Bill Damaschke, commented, “We are thrilled that David Lindsay-Abaire is joining director Peter Ramsey and the rest of the all-star creative team at DreamWorks Animation to bring William Joyce’s spectacular stories to cinematic life when the film arrives in theaters on November 2, 2012.”
Publication of the book series is set to begin in 2011 and subsequent books will be published in yearly installments thereafter.
