Deadline brings word that Paramount Pictures has picked up the rights to the book series Clifford the Big Red Dog from Universal and is now developing the film as a live-action/CG Hybrid film. Justin Malen, who wrote the script for the upcoming Baywatch movie, will pen the script for the movie.
Created by Norman Bridwell in 1963, the “Clifford” book series produced over 75 different books and has sold over 126 million copies worldwide. The series follows the titular canine and his owner, the young Emily Elizabeth, and the misadventures that a 25-foot-tall dog finds himself causing. The books were previously adapted into a video series in the 1980s and later two television shows including Clifford the Big Red Dog and Clifford’s Puppy Days.
Universal Studios previously had the film in development for a number of years with Astro Boy director David Bowers attached and even a 2016 release date previously announced. An animated movie, Clifford’s Really Big Movie, was released in 2004.
