Akiva Goldsman, who has worked on several recent Star Trek shows as well as written the screenplays for I Am Legend, I, Robot, The Da Vinci Code, and the 2017 adaptation of The Dark Tower, is set to adapt another intellectual property for the big screen.
Today, Mattel announced that it’s partnering with Universal Pictures and Goldsman’s production company to develop a live-action theatrical film version based on their Monster High brand, which consists of fashion dolls imagined as the children of legendary monsters.
“Monster High helps fans discover the great beauty in being true to yourself and celebrates the unique sensibilities at the core of who we are as individuals,” Robbie Brenner, President of Mattel Films, said in a statement. “We’re proud to partner with Universal Pictures and the brilliant Akiva Goldsman to usher this important message to audiences worldwide.”
“I’ve been fascinated by Monster High since my daughters were obsessed with the dolls as kids,” Goldsman said in the same statement. “I’m thrilled to once again join forces with Robbie Brenner and our friends at Mattel to help bring this iconic property to life.”
This isn’t the first live-action movie based on the Monster High dolls to come out. As recently as 2022, a musical feature also called Monster High premiered on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon, with a sequel coming out in October 2023. An animated series also came out in 2022, which released a second season this March.
For Mattel, however, those two projects aren’t enough, and this film will likely premiere in theaters instead of television. The latest adaptation is still in its early days, so it’s not clear whether Goldsman is writing the screenplay on top of producing, much less when the movie will make its way to theaters.
