The 1979 children’s fantasy classic will be getting new life as a rebooted series of films. The new franchise will be coming from Michael Ende Productions and will be based on his source material. The novel saw a live-action adaptation in 1984 with Wolfgang Petersen co-writing and directing the film. Then, in 1990, George Miller (not Furiosa‘s George Miller) would direct a sequel that starred Jonathan Brandis. And finally, a third movie starring Free Willy‘s Jason James Richter would follow in 1994. According to Deadline, the series of reboot films are set to be produced by Iain Canning and Emile Sherman for their production company See-Saw. Meanwhile, Roman Hocke and Ralph Gassmann will also be on board for Michael Ende Productions. Michael Ende Productions and See-Saw are set to collaborate with Lorenzo De Maio, who will serve as an executive producer on all the films. Wolf-Dieter Von Gronau, See-Saw’s Simon Gillis and Helen Gregory are also set to serve as EPs on the upcoming franchise.
The producers, Canning and Sherman, expressed their excitement for the project, saying, “The Neverending Story is a beloved book that has captured the imagination of generations of fans all over the world. Bringing literary worlds to screen is part of See-Saw’s DNA, and we are passionate about cinematic storytelling and entertaining audiences. We have such love for the book and are honored to be working with Michael Ende Productions on this collaboration to bring audiences back to Fantastica.”
Roman Hocke would add on, “The Neverending Story is more than just a story. It is THE story of all stories, because it tells us, alongside the breathtaking journey of Atréju and Bastian in a fantasy world, the real reason why stories play such an important role in our lives that we want to internalize them in all shapes and forms throughout our lives. Without stories, there would be no individuality, no personalities, no sense of meaning in the world. We want to transform this unique story into a great cinematic work of art for a wide audience. We feel lucky to have See-Saw Films by our side for this great task!”