Pop Mart, Sony Announce Labubu Feature Film

Beijing, March 19 - Chinese toy maker Pop Mart and Sony Pictures Entertainment have announced plans to develop a feature film based on Labubu, the company's popular "ugly-cute" monster character, marking a significant expansion of its intellectual property into cinema.

The project, revealed in a Pop Mart statement on Thursday, aims to transform Labubu from a collectible toy sensation into a full entertainment franchise. It is currently in early development and will combine live-action elements with computer-generated imagery. The announcement coincided with the Paris stop of a global exhibition tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Monsters, the universe featuring Labubu.

Paul King, the BAFTA-nominated director known for Paddington, Paddington 2, and the recent Wonka, which grossed over $635 million worldwide, will direct, produce, and co-write the screenplay. He is collaborating on the script with Steven Levenson, an award-winning writer recognized for his work on the musical Dear Evan Hansen and the film adaptation of Tick, Tick... Boom!. Kasing Lung, the Hong Kong-born artist raised in the Netherlands who created Labubu and The Monsters in a 2015 picture book series...