In an earlier season of Stranger Things, audiences got reminded of the catchy bop which anchored 1984’s The NeverEnding Story and the film itself. The fantasy franchise would later go off the rails, and has been quiet for years, but, now, something new might be afoot.
Today Deadline Hollywood is reporting sources have told them streamers and studios on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean are chasing the rights to the property first published as a book by Germany’s Michael Ende in 1979. Multi-million dollar offers are on the table, those who control Ende’s estate declined comment, and, while the rights to the idea are complicated, interest has grown in recent months though there is apparently some concern with how much control Ende’s estate wants over any film or TV story.
Ende himself sued those behind the first adaptation for deviating too much from what he wrote. He was unsuccessful, and ultimately trashed the piece from the late Wolfgang Petersen. The original production made more than $100 million, and follows a boy who happens to find a book about a young warrior tasked with stopping an evil force from consuming the land. A few years ago, Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company was rumored to be interested in making a deal, but this did not come to pass. Star Wars producer Kathleen Kennedy even tried as well, but said after dealing with rights problems maybe it was a sign for no more.
Nothing is official as of this story’s filing. WeGotThisCovered will share more info as we learn it.