Fox is moving ahead on “The Magician’s Elephant,” tapping Martin Hynes (“The Go-Getter”) to adapt Kate DiCamillo’s soon-to-be-published children’s book.
Julia Pistor is producing.
Story centers on impossible things that may happen when a fortune teller tells an orphan boy that an elephant will lead him to his long-lost sister.
“What attracted me to the project was that Fox wanted to make a fable which could both be a classic but not take itself too seriously,” Hynes told Daily Variety. “The film we’ve referenced in terms of tone is ‘The Princess Bride’ — something that kids will enjoy, but adults will love on other levels.”
Two of DiCamillo’s books — “The Tale of Despereaux” and “Because of Winn Dixie” — have been adapted into features.
Hynes directed and wrote “The Go-Getter,” starring Lou Taylor Pucci, Zooey Deschanel and Jena Malone. He’s attached to direct romance-thriller “4 A.M. Automatic” from his script for Locomotive, founded by Lucy Barzun Donnelly (who produced “The Go-Getter”) and Joshua Astrachan (formerly Robert Altman’s producer).
He’s also rewriting New Line’s “The Quiet Type” for Michael London and Kent Alterman.
