The author behind The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, Charlie Mackesy has teamed up with producer Cara Speller to form a production company NoneMore Productions with the first project an animated short film adaptation of Mackesy’s book being co-produced with J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions.

Abrams and Bad Robot’s President of Motion Pictures Hannah Minghella will serve as producers on the project alongside Speller and NoneMore’s Matthew Freud.

The 30-minute short will feature hand-drawn animation capturing the look and spirit of the book and will see a team of artists work alongside Mackesy to bring the project to the big screen.

Charlie Mackesy said: “I’m continually surprised by everything, and I’m excited by this film. It’s a new adventure for me, and it’s another way for people to experience the journey of the four unlikely friends.”

Hannah Minghella said: “Charlie has created an instant classic. From the beauty of his illustrations to the deeply moving and profound questions these characters contemplate, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse is a balm for the soul. As we continue our own journey into animation at Bad Robot, JJ and I are thrilled to be partnering with Charlie, Cara and Matthew to bring these beloved characters to life.”

Cara Speller said: “From the first moment of seeing Charlie’s soulful characters, I wanted to know more about them and how they interact with each other beyond the moments in the book. The opportunity to bring them even further to life with the magic that animation promises, and to introduce them to an even wider audience, is an incredibly exciting prospect that we can’t wait to explore.”

The animated film reunites Speller and Minghella who have a decade long relationship, having first met when Speller was working with Gorillaz and Minghella was head of Sony Pictures Animation. Speller and Minghella most recently teamed to develop a family movie The Toymaker’s Secret at TriStar Pictures, written by Alex Garland and to be directed by Paloma Baeza.

Speller is an Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning producer best known for the Academy Award-nominated film Pear Cider and Cigarettes, and the Emmy-nominated short series Marvel’s Rocket & Groot, alongside her work with virtual band Gorillaz on their ground-breaking music videos and live shows. Speller recently produced Robert Valley’s short film Zima Blue as part of the critically acclaimed Tim Miller and David Fincher anthology Love, Death and Robots, as well as executive producing 101 Dalmatian Street for Disney+.

NoneMore Productions, headed by Cara Speller and development executive Delphi Lythgoe, will be headquartered in the U.K.

 

Jon Creamer

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