The Mr Men and Little Miss characters created by Roger Hargreaves and continued by his son Adam Hargreaves, are set to star in their own feature film from the producers of Paddington. David Heyman, whose Heyday Films produced Paddington and Paddington 2, will join forces with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, White Noise, and the UK arm of French media company, StudioCanal, to make the film which will feature much-loved characters like Mr Tickle, My Bump, Little Miss Sunshine and Little Miss Naughty.
In a statement, Heyman said that the books “offer an irresistible opportunity for a bold and imaginative feature film adaptation.”
The books by English author and illustrator, Roger Hargreaves, began with Mr Men, publishing from 1971 with the first six titles. The very first title was ‘Mr Tickle’, a book inspired by his son Adam, who had asked him what a tickle might look like. Roger bought a tickle to life as a round orange figure with long, bendy arms and a little blue hat.
Pickett said: “I really identified with that feeling of [being] 21. She’s so young, but is on the cusp of adulthood. She believes she knows everything about everyone else’s life and what they need to do in order to get to happiness. She reminded me so much of me at that age.”
Talking about her adaptation, she added: “I really love writing female friendships because I think they are wonderful but brutal and difficult. No-one teaches you at school that it’s work to stay friends for a long time.
“I really wanted to dig into that a lot. It’s something Emma has to learn.
“The human condition is, in lots of ways, still the same. Jealousy is jealousy. Love is love.”
