The children’s classic Corduroy is heading to the big screen.
Tim Story, the director of the Fantastic Four and Ride Along movies, is in negotiations to helm the adaptation of the Don Freeman book, which quietly got set up at CBS Films.
The book tells of a teddy bear who, over the course of one night in a closed department store, goes on an adventure to find his lost button so that he can find the home and the friend that he has always wanted.
But the book, published in 1968 at the height of the civil rights era, broke ground by having an African-American girl and her mother comprise the home the bear seeks to join.
Corduroy has sold tens of millions of copies and is a fixture on “greatest children’s books” lists, among them the New York Public Library’s 100 Great Children’s Books From the Last 100 Years, and Parents Magazine’s All-Time Best Books for Children. The book has reportedly seen a resurgence in recent years with sales rising 30 percent since 2009.
The project is in the development stages and no writer is on board to adapt the material. Mark Ross and Alex Ginno are overseeing the project for CBS Films.
Story has directed eight studio movies, ranging from comedies such as Barbershop to special effect-laden comic book movies such as Fantastic Four to action comedies such as Ride Along. His movies have collectively grossed over $1 billion.
Story is repped by UTA and Ziffren Brittenham.
