Movie executives are texting each other dollar signs and smiley faces today as Deadline is reporting that Sony Pictures Animation has won an intense bidding war to purchase a pitch for a movie about Emoji.
The little characters that have become a worldwide instant messaging staple (as well as a fun way to summarize movies) originally came out of Japan in the late ’90s, where the word “Emoji” is a literal translation of “picture” (e) + “character” (moji). However, Sony is not purchasing a public domain word, they have bought a detailed pitch co-written by Eric Siegel (TBS’s “Men At Work”) and Anthony Leondis (Igor), with the latter directing the feature. Apparently Leondis created a series of storyboards outlining the entire film, which also drew the attention of Paramount and Warner Bros. until Sony head Tom Rothman gave the go-ahead to SPA president Kristine Belson to aggressively pursue the project, which may also have rival pitches around town.
Leondis recently directed an animated feature for DreamWorks Animation titled B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations, which according to the report is now complete despite not having a release date due to that studio’s recent restructuring. That film will feature the voices of Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Matt Bomer and Seth Rogen.
