One of actor Ravi Patel‘s next projects will be Harold and the Purple Crayon. According to Deadline, Patel has been cast to appear in the upcoming film.

Patel‘s previous work includes 2020’s Butter (directed by Paul A. Kaufman), 2019’s Come as You Are (directed by Richard Wong), and 2018’s The Black String (directed by Brian Hanson). He will also appear in the upcoming film The Valet (directed by Richard Wong), and the upcoming Showtime series Three Women. Also starring in the film will be Zachary Levi, Lil Rel Howery, and Zooey Deschanel. The characters that the actors will play in the film have not yet been announced.

The live action film will tell the story of a 4-year-old, who is able to create worlds around him, thanks to his crayon. It will be based on the book by Crockett Johnson, which was first published in 1955. The book was the start of a series, which concluded with the seventh book, Harold’s ABC, in 1963. The book was previously adapted into an animated short in 1959. The short was narrated by Norman Rose and was directed by David Piel. Popeye and Tom and Jerry director Gene Deitch later directed two animated shorts, 1971’s A Picture for Harold’s Room and 1974’s Harold’s Fairy Tale, which were adaptions of follow-up books in the series. A television series based on the book aired on HBO Family from 2001-2002. It was developed by Carin Greenberg Baker and Jeff Kline. The series starred Connor Matheus as Harold, and was narrated by Sharon Stone. 13 episodes of the series were produced in total. It went on to win a Daytime Emmy Award for Main Title Design.

Harold and the Purple Crayon will be directed by Carlos Saldanha. Saldanha‘s previous work includes 2017’s Ferdinand, 2011’s Rio, and 2006’s Ice Age: The Meltdown. Ferdinand was later nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The film’s script was written by David Guion and Michael Handelman. The duo previously worked on 2010’s Dinner for Schmucks (directed by Jay Roach), and 2014’s Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (directed by Shawn Levy). John Davis will be a producer for the film through David Entertainment. The film will be released through Sony Pictures.

No official release date has been announced for Harold and the Purple Crayon. In the meantime, fans can see Patel in the documentary series Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness, which is currently available to stream on HBO Max.

via Collider