By Dave McNary
APRIL 20, 2017 | 08:22AM PT
Veteran producer J. Todd Harris and Marc Marcum are launching a live-action/animated movie version of the 1958 children’s book “Danny and the Dinosaur” through their Branded Pictures Entertainment.
The light-hearted Syd Hoff story starts with a boy named Danny befriending a good-natured dinosaur at a museum with Danny riding out of the museum on the dinosaur’s neck. The two then spend the day together playing, going to the zoo, having ice cream and letting other children use the dinosaur as a slide.
The company has optioned all non-publishing rights to “Danny and the Dinosaur,” which has sold more than 10 million copies. The script has been adapted by David Bowers and writing team Brian Sawyer and Gregg Rossen.
“We see a real opportunity to build a portfolio of brands, based on classic as well as new IP,” Harris said. “We’re creating these projects from the ground up by doing the heavy lifting in the acquisition and development stages.”