Hanks Goes Wild

Universal Pictures is planning to bring Maurice Sendak's famed children's book, Where the Wild Things Are to the big screen with the help of Gore Verbinski, Tom Hanks, some smart computer graphics and live action. The book, which has long been a favourite for children all over the world, is about a boy named Max who discovers, tames and becomes king of a far-away land of giant friendly monsters called 'wild things'. Verbinski is attached to direct, with Hanks and Gary Goetzman's Playtone Productions joining Sendak and John B. Carls of Wild Things Productions as producers. Hanks, who has unsurprisingly recently confessed that his favourite children's book is, of course, Where the Wild Things Are, became involved with Wild Things Productions when he gained the acquaintance of Carls three years ago during the production of That Thing You Do. Expected to carry a significant budget with stunning special effects, Universal has yet to outline a spending plan, the only sure-fire bet being that the studio will follow tradition and rely heavily on post-production merchandising.