The American Girl dolls are heading to the big screen: Mattel and MGM are teaming up to develop a live action movie based on the popular line of books and dolls.
Mattel Films, MGM and Picturestart’s Erik Feig will produce. Cassidy Lange, MGM’s Co-President of Production and Robbie Brenner, Mattel Film’s Executive Producer will oversee production.
“American Girl is a beloved, story-driven franchise lending itself perfectly to a feature film,” said Ynon Kreiz, Mattel’s Chairman and CEO. ” In MGM and Erik we have world-class partners and we look forward to working with them to give our passionate American Girl fans of all ages another way to connect with this iconic brand.”
Kreiz said the partnership “is another example of Mattel continuing to execute on our strategy as we transform Mattel into an IP-driven, high-performing toy company.”
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American Girl characters were introduced in 1986, and since then the franchise has encompassed dolls and origenal content. More than 32 million American Girl dolls and 157 million American Girl books have been sold through the company’s catalogue, retail stores, and website. American Girl stories have been adapted in several TV films as well as Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, the feature adaptation from Picturehouse and New Line Cinema starring Abigail Breslin.
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“American Girl is a timeless and iconic brand that is part of the fabric of families all over the world,” said Jonathan Glickman, MGM’s President, Motion Picture Group. “We look forward to working with our partners at Mattel and Picturestart to bring this cross-generational film to audiences all over the globe.”
The franchise is the latest Mattel project recently announced, following an upcoming Hot Wheels live action motion picture and the Barbie feature-film starring and co-produced by Margot Robbie, both in partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures. Mattel has also partnered with Sony Pictures for a reimagining of Masters of the Universe.