Fantasy novel The Neverending Story is to be made into a series of live-action films.
The book, written by German author Michael Ende, was first published in 1979 before it was adapted for the screen in 1984 in a film directed by Wolfgang Petersen.
It was followed by sequels The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter (1990) and The Neverending Story III (1994) and has also been adapted for television.
Michael Ende Productions and See-Saw Films have partnered to develop and produce the films and have started the process of finding creatives for the project.
Executive producers include Lorenzo De Maio, Wolf-Dieter Von Gronau, and See-Saw Films’ Simon Gillis and Helen Gregory.
Producers Iain Canning and Emile Sherman of See-Saw Films said: “Michael Ende’s ‘The Neverending Story’ is a beloved book that has captured the imagination of generations of fans all over the world.
“Bringing literary worlds to screen is part of See-Saw’s DNA, and we are passionate about cinematic storytelling and entertaining audiences.
“We have such love for the book and are honoured to be working with Michael Ende Productions on this collaboration to bring audiences back to Fantastica.”
Producer Roman Hocke, Michael Ende Productions said: “Michael Ende’s ‘The Neverending Story’ is more than just a story.
“It is THE story of all stories, because it tells us, alongside the breath-taking journey of Atreyu and Bastian in a fantasy world, the real reason why stories play such an important role in our lives that we want to internalise them in all shapes and forms throughout our lives.
“Without stories there would be no individuality, no personalities, no sense of meaning in the world.
“We want to transform this unique story into a great cinematic work of art for a wide audience. We feel lucky to have See-Saw Films by our side for this great task!”
In The Neverending Story, protagonist Bastian Balthazar Bux becomes engulfed in an old, mysterious book and is transported into a wonderland world where he teams up with young warrior Atreyu to save the world from dark power The Nothing and find a cure for the dying Empress.
The book was referenced in series three of Netflix show Stranger Things with Gaten Matarazzo’s character Dustin Henderson singing Limahl’s song from the 1984 film.
See-Saw titles include The Power Of The Dog, Slow Horses, Heartstopper and The King’s Speech.
By Hannah Roberts, PA Entertainment Reporter
