Children's book author Kate DiCamillo has a track record of striking out when it comes to the big screen. The movie version of her book Because of Winn Dixie made just $32 million domestically, while last holiday season The tale of Despereaux kind of got lost in the shuffle, making $50 million in the process.
But because kids will see pretty much everything, a third DiCamillo book-- the soon-to-be-published The Magician's Elephant-- is going into production at Fox. Director Martin Hynes told Variety "The film we've referenced in terms of tone is The Princess Bride -- something that kids will enjoy, but adults will love on other levels," which is probably what everyone making a children's movie says when they first got into production.
Hynes has a history in independent film-- he made The Go-Getter with Lou Taylor Pucci and Zooey Deschanel-- so who knows what he'll bring to a story of a fortune teller, an orphan and an elephant. It might even be weirder than Despereaux, which could make it worth watching after all.
