We may be getting a Labubu movie soon
Reports indicate that a movie based on the widely popular toys is in the works at Sony Pictures.
Labubus were definitely one of the weirder things to come to prominence this year. The meteoric rise in popularity of the tiny dolls left many asking “Why is this even a thing?”
Whispers of a Labubu movie — perhaps the peak of the hype surrounding the toys — have been circulating since November, with no official confirmation from Sony Pictures, the studio handling the project. That changed on Thursday, when Variety reported the film is to be directed by Paul King, the force behind Wonka and the first two Paddington movies.
In case you’re wondering what exactly a Labubu is, it’s a small toy based on a series of Chinese children’s books. Small, fuzzy, with eyes open wide and pointed teeth bared, the little creatures are sold as collectible plush-toys in ‘blind boxes’ which contain a random figure from a series.
They became a popular accessory this year, often seen hanging off purse straps and belt loops. They‘ve also spawned a collector’s market, with the biggest Labubu yet — a one-of-a-kind figure standing at 1.2 metres tall — selling for over $150,000 at an auction.
King, who has spent a significant part of his career working on comedies and children’s films, saw great success with his last movie, Wonka, a prequel to the 2005 film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory — which was based on a Roald Dahl novel of the same name. The movie starred Timothée Chalamet as the iconic chocolatier, Willy Wonka, and earned almost $500 million at the box office globally.
He wrote and directed the first two films of the Paddington franchise and was one of the directors and executive producers of Netflix’s popular military sitcom Space Force.
The Labubu movie is part of a broader trend in Hollywood of adapting popular toys into films which often perform well with that toy’s target demographic. Warner Bros adapted Legos — the Danish construction toys — into the 2014 Lego Movie, and their 2023 release Barbie became one of the most talked about films of the summer.
In July, the studio announced they were working on a Hot Wheels movie based on the brand of model cars, Jon M Chu — the director of the Wicked films — has been tapped for the project.