Pippi Longstocking film in early development

StudioCanal, Heyday Films and the Astrid Lindgren Company have revealed they are in early development on a film adaptation of Pippi Longstocking. 

"Harry Potter" producer and Heyday Films founder David Heyman will produce the film alongside Jeffrey Clifford and Rosie Alison with the project reuniting StudioCanal and Heyday following their successful collaboration on the "Paddington" films. 

Astrid Lindgren’s bestseller was first published in Sweden in autumn 1945 by Rabén & Sjögren, followed by three short stories and a number of picture book adaptations. They have been translated into 77 languages with over 65 million copies sold world-wide with 365,067 Pippi Longstocking books sold for £2.78m through BookScan. 

StudioCanal c.e.o. Didier Lupfer and EVP International Production & Acquisitions Ron Halpern said: “All of us at StudioCanal are admirers and fans of Pippi Longstocking.  We greatly appreciate the confidence the family of Astrid Lindgren has shown in us, letting us be their partner in bringing the timeless, wonderful and joyful creation of hers to the big screen. It's a real pleasure to work again with David Heyman and the team at Heyday, bringing Pippi to audiences around the world. Pippi will play to the imaginations of adults and children alike and we are so delighted to bring her beautifully enduring stories to life." 

Astrid Lindgren (©Jacob Forsell, The Astrid Lindgren Company)

Heyman added: “I am thrilled to collaborate with Thomas Gustafsson, Olle Nyman and their team at the Astrid Lindgren Company and our partners at StudioCanal on this film adaptation of the brilliant and timeless Pippi Longstocking.  Pippi has endured and inspired families everywhere through her life force, strength of character and her irrepressible joie de vivre.  Astrid Lindgren’s books have been translated around the globe for many years – a testament to her vision which we are determined to honour with a new film.”

Heyman is currently in post production on "The Secret Garden", directed by Marc Munden, and starring Colin Firth and Julie Walters, and is in pre-production on the third of J K Rowling’s "Fantastic Beasts" films having produced the first two films in the series.

Nils Nyman, grandchild of Astrid Lindgren and c.e.o. at Astrid Lindgren Film said: “In David Heyman, with his impressive track-record of bringing great literary works to the screen, together with StudioCanal we are confident that we have found a team that can understand and appreciate the full value of Pippi Longstocking and develop films that capture both the playfulness and the gravity in my grandmother’s works. We are therefore very excited and pleased to announce this collaboration.”

The series will celebrate its 75th anniversary next year with a campaign in support of Save the Children. 

Nyman added: "I’m especially thrilled to announce this now, when we’re in the midst of planning Pippi Longstocking’s upcoming 75th Anniversary in 2020 together with a global campaign in support of Save the Children’s important work for Children on the Move."