'Hello Kitty' movie in the works

An English language film centering on the Hello Kitty toy is in the works for the first time in her 45-year history.

New Line Cinema, Sanrio and FlynnPictureCo are teaming up to develop the project, reported variety.com.

New Line said the partnership marks the only time Sanrio, the Japanese company behind the toy, has granted film rights to the silent Hello Kitty and friends, including the cracked egg character Gudetama, the rabbit character My Melody, and Little Twin Stars, to a major film studio, reports variety.com.

The announcement on Tuesday did not indicate whether the "Hello Kitty" feature film will be animated, live-action or a hybrid.

New Line said it had spent nearly five years pursuing the movie rights.

Hello Kitty was initially designed in 1974 and introduced on a coin purse a year later. She can be found in 130 countries on more than 50,000 different branded products each year. The character has never talked.

"I am extremely pleased that Hello Kitty and other popular Sanrio characters will be making their Hollywood debut," said Sanrio founder, President and CEO Shintaro Tsuji.

"Hello Kitty has long been a symbol of friendship and we hope this film will only serve to grow that circle of friendship around the world."

--IANS

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