Netflix is developing an animated musical movie based on The Witch Boy graphic novels.Written and drawn by Molly Knox Ostertag, the first of the Witch Boy graphic novels was published in 2017 and was followed by a pair of sequels, The Hidden Witch and The Midwinter Witch, in 2018 and 2019. The first book follows Aster, a 13-year boy who discovers he has witch abilities in a world where girls are raised to be witches and boys are expected to grow up and become shapeshifters. The Witch Boy was optioned for a film adaptation by Fox prior to the book's release, but is now in production as a Netflix animated musical, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Minkyu Lee is directing The Witch Boy movie adaptation from an adapted script by Maria Melnik (Escape Room), with Roy Lee, Miri Yoon and Ryan Harris producing. The film will also include original music by the Grammy award-nominated pop rock band Haim.
In addition to directing the Oscar-nominated 2012 short, Adam and Dog, Minkyu Lee previously served as a visual development artist on the Disney Animated features Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen and Big Hero 6. "It has been a life-long dream of mine to create an animated film that pushes the medium forward, both in content and form," said Lee in a statement. "My hope is that this film, by celebrating queerness and 'otherness,' will come to audiences around the world as something truly special."
After years of distributing animated movies from other studios, Netflix established its own in-house feature-length animation production studio, Netflix Animation, in 2018. They have released three films so far, in the forms of the Oscar-nominated Klaus, The Willoughbys and Over the Moon. In addition to The Witch Boy, Netflix Animation has several projects in active development, including directors Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson's stop-motion Pinocchio adaptation and Coraline filmmaker Henry Selick's stop-motion horror/comedy Wendell and Wild.
The synopsis for Netflix's The Witch Boy reads,
In a secret, magical community where girls are born to be witches and boys grow into shapeshifters, Aster is surprised to discover his emerging and extraordinary witch powers. When a mysterious danger threatens his world, Aster must embark on a journey to uncover the truth behind himself, his powers, and everything that is magical.
The Witch Boy has yet to receive an official release date.
Source:Â The Hollywood Reporter, Twitter