Maurice Sendak Signs TriStar Production Deal

TriStar Pictures has signed an exclusive long-term agreement with Maurice Sendak and his partner John Carls to produce motion pictures for the studio. This marks the first time that the author of such children’s classics as “In the Night Kitchen” and “Where the Wild Things Are”--one of the top 10 best-selling children’s books of all time--has consented to have his work transferred to the screen.

Sendak will produce, write and design a number of the projects that will encompass live action, animation, and a combination of the two. No decision has been made as to which book will be developed first or what the timetable will be.

Sendak will get an advance against producing fees and be paid additionally for the rights to each of his books on a case by case basis. His works and creative input will also be channeled into TriStar’s parent company, Sony Pictures Entertainment, including television, home video and Sony Music.

Marc Platt, president of production for the studio, developed a relationship with Sendak when he was president of Orion Pictures and pursued him aggressively when he moved to TriStar in February. “Sendak is a true artist who hasn’t yet been exploited in the medium of film, a man whose head is full of ideas which run well beyond his published works,” he said. “There’s a clear market for family entertainment and this is an attempt to broaden our horizons into that arena.”

Sendak, a Connecticut resident, has already met with directors such as Tim Burton, Jerry Zucker and Danny DeVito during a whirlwind visit to Los Angeles. “This isn’t a change of heart as much as finding the right people and the right opportunities,” he said. “These people obviously take children’s movies seriously and there’s a lot of work--some mine, some written by others, some not yet in existence--I’d like to bring to the forefront. An artist is always looking for new canvases to paint on.”