Terry Pratchett's work has not, shall we say, always enjoyed the best adaptations to screen worlds. Some have been fitfully entertaining, others, a great big miss. The team behind The Amazing Maurice – which adapt's Pratchett's 2001 Discworld-set kids' tome The Amazing Maurice And His Educated Rodents, is hoping they have more luck. A first image and teaser poster are online.
Maurice is a streetwise ginger cat who comes up with a money-making scam inspired by the legend of the Pied Piper – befriending a group of self-taught talking rats. When Maurice and the rodents reach the stricken town of Bad Blintz, they meet a bookworm called Malicia and their little con soon goes down the drain.
With Toby Genkel and Florian Westermann on co-directing duty and a script penned by Terry Rossio, this is a Pratchett adaptation that has the full support of his estate and is produced alongside Narrativia. The voice cast includes Hugh Laurie, Emilia Clarke, David Thewlis, Himesh Patel, Gemma Arterton, Hugh Bonneville, David Tennant and Rob Brydon.
The Amazing Maurice will hit Sky Cinema and NOW next year.