Emily V. Gordon Has Signed On To Write The Animated Play-Doh Feature
LEGO, Playmobile — now, it seems, it's Play-Doh's turn to be adapted into an animated movie. This isn't the first time a similar idea has come up, either. Back in 2015, "Bridemaids" and "Spy" director Paul Feig was in talks to direct a film based on the multi-colored, clay-like toy for what was then 20th Century Fox. However, it never came to pass, and the project more or less fell into the cracks for seven years. Now, Hasbro is joining forces with eOne and some major creative talent to have another go at making a movie about that stuff parents are always warning their kids not to eat.
Variety reports that Oscar-nominated screenwriter Emily V. Gordon is penning the animated "Play-Doh" film, with Jon M. Chu producing and possibly also directing. "The team looks forward to bringing the audience a moldable, pliable, iconically-scented story about the importance of imagination," said Chu and Gordon, the latter of whom is also on board as an executive producer.
Everything's not awesome, but the Play-Doh movie could be okay
Gordon picked up her first Oscar nod for "The Big Sick," the 2017 dramedy she co-wrote with her spouse Kumail Nanjiani inspired by their real-life courtship. She and Nanjiani have since teamed up with Lee Eisenberg ("WeCrashed") to create "Little America," a well-reviewed Apple TV+ anthology series centered on the lives of different American immigrants. "Jon and I had a series of conversations about creativity, imagination, and the purpose of art that were so fun and juicy that I knew I had to do this," wrote Gordon on Twitter, reacting to the news about the "Play-Doh" movie. "I'll get to use some of my play therapist training too, maybe...." she added.
Judging by her comments, it sounds like Gordon and Chu are more or less planning to take the "LEGO Movie" approach to "Play-Doh" — that is, turning the world-famous brand into a film that actively subverts and rejects the cynical corporate mindset that led to its creation in the first place. It's a high-wire act to pull off, but Gordon seems like she's more than up for the challenge. I'm also down with the idea of Chu ("Crazy Rich Asians," "In the Heights") bringing his unique sense of cinematic panache to the world of animation, between potentially directing the "Play-Doh" film and being attached to Warner Bros. Animation Group's upcoming big-screen take on Dr. Seuss' "Oh, The Places You'll Go!"
At the moment, Chu is gearing up to adapt the Broadway sensation "Wicked" into a live-action movie and has yet to commit to his next directorial effort after wrapping production on the "Wizard of Oz"-inspired musical extravaganza. It sounds like the "Play-Doh" movie is still in the early stages of getting up and going, so keep it tuned to /Film for more updates on that front in the months to come.