Netflix has just announced an upcoming film based on a beloved book series by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight.
Set at the Plaza Hotel, Gilmore Girls writer Amy Sherman-Palladino is shaping the live-action Eloise adaptation.
Newcomer Mae Schenk will play the title character, and will star alongside Deadpool legend Ryan Reynolds.
Hannah Minghella, Head of Feature Animation and Family Film at Netflix, shared: “Eloise has been beloved for generations, from when she was first published in the 1950s through to today, when no family trip to New York City is complete without a stop at The Plaza.
It’s an honor to reintroduce this cherished character to the world with two people who share her signature mischief and charm — Amy Sherman-Palladino and Ryan Reynolds — in this bold, hilarious, and heartfelt new family film.”
Independent film and TV studio MRC acquired the rights to Eloise in 2019, so the film has been a long time coming.
MRC Film co-presidents Jonathan Golfman and Brye Adler said: “We’ve been working with the Thompson estate and Handmade Films for a long time to bring Eloise to fans everywhere, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Maximum Effort, Amy, and Netflix to bring the cherished children’s property to audiences around the world.”
Eloise is a young girl who lives in the “room on the tippy-top floor” of the Plaza Hotel in New York City with her nanny, her pug Weenie, and her turtle, Skipperdee.
The character was developed by Thompson based on her childhood imaginary friend and alter ego.
Illustrator Knight said the iconic image for Eloise was based on one his mother had painted during the 1930s.
This is not the first time the books have been adapted for the small screen, as in 2003, two TV movies based on the first two books were made by Walt Disney Television.
Both Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime starred Sofia Vassilieva as Eloise and Julie Andrews as Nanny.
In 2006, an animated series aired on Starz! Kids & Family, featuring Cobra Kai’s Mary Mouser as Eloise and Lynn Redgrave as Nanny.
Eloise will air on Netflix