Walden Media is acquiring the film rights to children’s book series, The Berenstain Bears. 21 Laps, Nelvana, and Walden Media will produce a family comedy, which will feature a mix of live action and CG-animated characters. Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps has produced movies such as Night at the Museum and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. Nelvana produced the animated The Berenstain Bears television series, which airs on PBS.
Billy Rosenberg will oversee the project for 21 Laps, while Evan Turner, VP of production & development, and Michael Bostick, CEO, will oversee the project for Walden. Doug Murphy and Irene Weibel, VP of international development and coproduction, will manage the project on behalf of Nelvana.
The Berenstain Bears, published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, are the bestselling character-based children’s books in history, with over 260 million in sales.
