"The Little Prince" is heading back to the big screen in live-action form. Morten Tyldum, who directed "The Imitation Game," will helm the film, and Oscar-winning screenwriter Simon Beaufoy has signed on to write the script, Variety reported Tuesday.
The project is being developed with Le Petit Prince Groupe, the organization that guards the estate of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French aviator who wrote and illustrated the 1943 novella. The film will draw inspiration from Saint-Exupéry's own life rather than adapting the book directly.
French producer Aton Soumache is behind the project. Soumache produced Mark Osborne's 2015 animated adaptation of "The Little Prince," which grossed more than $100 million worldwide, and he also backs the "Miraculous" franchise.
Tyldum earned a best director Oscar nomination for "The Imitation Game," the 2014 Alan Turing drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch. He also directed "Passengers" and the Norwegian thriller "Headhunters."
Beaufoy won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay for "Slumdog Millionaire" in 2009. His other credits include "The Full Monty," "127 Hours" and "Battle of the Sexes."
Saint-Exupéry's novella tells the story of a young prince who visits various planets and meets a series of strange characters before landing on Earth. It has sold an estimated 140 million copies and been translated into more than 300 languages, making it one of the best-selling books ever published.
Saint-Exupéry himself led a remarkable life. He flew mail routes across North Africa and South America in the 1920s and 1930s, survived multiple crashes in the desert and the Andes, and wrote several books about his experiences in the air. He disappeared over the Mediterranean in 1944 while flying a reconnaissance mission for the Free French forces. His body was never found.
The live-action film is described as a large-scale family adventure. No release date, cast or studio has been announced.
The 2015 animated version, which used stop-motion puppets for the prince and computer animation for the rest of the story, was nominated for a BAFTA and won the César Award for best animated feature. It earned strong reviews for weaving Saint-Exupéry's real-life aviation career into the plot alongside the fairy tale.
Whether the new film follows a similar structure remains unclear. Representatives for the production did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
