Since the cult success of Napoleon Dynamite, Jared and Jerusha Hess have made other movies, including Nacho Libre and Masterminds, but nothing has quite hit the pop cultural consciousness like their first film. Now Netflix has engaged their services to work on something with plenty of space for their quirksome style: an adaptation of kid-friendly tome Thelma The Unicorn.
The streaming service won the rights to the book in a bidding war fought across the last couple pf weeks. Aaron Blabey's story sees a pony named Thelma wishing to be a unicorn. When her dream comes true, she rises to become an international pop sensation, but at an unexpected cost. Thelma was originally published in 2015 and has sold more than 1.6 million copies worldwide.
"We are huge fans of Aaron’s work," says the duo. "The lovable misfits in his books feel right at home for us. It is a dream come true to be collaborating with him and Netflix on an animated feature of Thelma The Unicorn."
Hess and his producing partner/wife are looking to turn this one into an animated musical adventure film, but there's no word yet on when it might appear.
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