The first poster for the upcoming big screen adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon have been released – and it seems the film will be a far cry from the beloved book.
The poster shows Zachary Levi – best known for the Shazam! films – as a grown-up Harold in purple overalls, walking out of a purple-colored world of imagination.
The original book, on which the film is presumably loosely based, was written in 1955 by Crockett Johnson. It features the adventures of a young boy and his crayon, which he uses to draw a world of his own. It has been a staple in many US households ever since.
The fantasy element, along with adventure and color all seem to remain in place, but what the rest of the plot will involve has yet to be confirmed, but it is known that it will be a modern day reworking of the classic.
What has been confirmed are some of the people who will be starring alongside Levi, including Zooey Deschanel, Jermaine Clement and Lil Rey Howery. Carlos Saldanha – best known for directing animated features such as Ferdinand, Rio and Rio 2 – is making his live-action directorial debut with this film.
There has been talk of a cinematic version of Harold and the Purple Crayon for more than 30 years. John B Carls and Maurice Sendak – who was mentored by Johnson – acquired the rights to the book in 1992 and by 1994 a script had been written, but the plug was pulled on the project before filming could begin. Then in 2010, it was reported that a CGI-animated adaption was in the works, but again the project foundered, before reemerging in 2021 – which has led to this film.
In 2001, a series of Harold and the Purple Crayon aired on HBO, with the series narrated by Sharon Stone, which won a Daytime Emmy.
The film is set to hit cinemas on August 2.
