The Eloise books by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight are about to get a serious boost. The books feature Eloise, a precious child who lives at the Plaza Hotel. Eloise was first published by Simon & Schuster in 1955. The five titles in the series have sold over 15 million English-language copies around the world. And now, generations of delighted fans can look forward to seeing Eloise on multiple platforms. From Deadline Hollywood:
In one of MRC’s biggest IP acquisitions to date, the independent film and television studio has secured film, television, live stage and related ancillary rights to, Eloise, the beloved series of children’s books written by Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight.
MRC will work closely with UK-based HandMade Films and collaborate with the Thompson estate, illustrator Knight, as well as Simon & Schuster, the book series’ publisher, to develop various adaptations. Handmade’s Trudi Francis will serve as an executive producer on all projects.
The full story is here.
An interesting side note: the first book in the series was originally published in 1955 as Eloise: A Book for Precocious Grown-ups and was marketed to adults. In 1969 the book was republished as a children’s book.
According to Wikipedia, “The character was developed by the author based on her childhood imaginary friend and alter ego, with a voice in which Thompson spoke throughout her life, according to her biographer, filmmaker Sam Irvin. Thompson’s goddaughter, Liza Minnelli, was often speculated as a possible model for Eloise.” ◊
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