(Yicai) March 19 -- Chinese toymaker Pop Mart International Group and American entertainment giant Sony Pictures Entertainment will jointly develop a live-action/animated film based on The Monsters (Labubu), an intellectual property under Pop Mart, the companies announced today.

The project will be directed and produced by Paul King, the British filmmaker best known for directing the Paddington film series and the box-office hit Wonka. Kasing Lung, the creator and designer of The Monsters, will serve as executive producer. King will also co-write the screenplay with Steven Levenson, the Tony Award-winning writer of the book for the musical Dear Evan Hansen.

The film is still in early development and is expected to combine live-action performances and real-world settings with computer-generated imagery to bring Labubu’s fantasy world to the big screen.

Kasing Lung was born in Hong Kong, China, and grew up in the Netherlands. Inspired by Nordic mythology, he created The Monsters Trilogy illustrated books in 2015, including The Story of Puka, as well as Pato and the Girl, and Miro’s Requiem. The series gradually introduced the elf characters known as The Monsters, including Labubu, which is recognizable for its nine teeth and upright, pointed ears.

Pop Mart partnered with Lung to launch the first Labubu collectible toys in April 2019, and the character has since become a trendy symbol popular with consumers worldwide.

Editor: Emmi Laine