Cartoon Network is developing a live-action/CG feature film based on the bestselling Harper Collins young adult book Tiger’s Apprentice. Oscar-nominated screenwriter David Magee (Finding Neverland) has adapted Lawrence Yep’s award-winning tale for the screen, and Jane Startz (Tuck Everlasting, Indian in the Cupboard) will exec produce. Set to premiere in 2010, the movie is now in pre-production with staffing and casting currently underway at Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank, Calif.
The latest original movie produced by Cartoon Network Studios tells the mysterious story of teenager Tom Lee. Orphaned by his grandmother, he is put under the protection of Mr. Hu, a mystical tiger who can take human form. Inside San Francisco’s Chinatown, Tom discovers an astonishing magical world full of spells and characters spun from the lore of the Chinese Zodiac. With the help of a tiger, a dragon, a rat and a monkey, our hero must train in order to save the world.
‘Tiger’s Apprentice is an award-winning property that represents our expansion into the high-quality original TV movie event business,’ says Rob Sorcher, chief content officer at Cartoon Network. ‘We’re proud to bring together a package of powerful writing and talent to a project we know is a passion for everyone involved.’
Cartoon Network Studios is also developing telepic based on the comic-book properties Firebreather, The Vanishers and Mice Templar, as well as a sequel to the hit live-action pic Ben 10: Race Against Time. Image Comic’s Firebreather, created by Phil Hester, and Mice Templar from Mike Avon Oeming and Bryan Glass will be animated. IDW Publishing’s The Vanishers, created by Chuck Dixon, will be produced as a live-action original movie.
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