New Line Cinema and Sanrio Announce Plan to Bring Hello Kitty to the Big Screen Worldwide March 5, 2019
BURBANK, CA - New Line Cinema, Sanrio and FlynnPictureCo. announced today that they will be teaming up to develop an English language Hello Kitty film for a worldwide audience for the first time in her 45-year history.
The partnership marks the only time Sanrio has granted film rights to Hello Kitty and other popular characters-including Gudetama, My Melody, Little Twin Stars and more from its expansive universe-to a major film studio, giving audiences outside of Japan the opportunity to experience Hello Kitty as a feature film. Hello Kitty's debut under the partnership will be produced by Beau Flynn and executive produced by Wendy Jacobson for FlynnPictureCo. in the culmination of a passionate, nearly five-year journey to secure the rights to develop Hello Kitty for the global big screen. A search for writers and creative talent will commence immediately.
Hello Kitty has been delighting fans around the world for more than four decades. Initially designed in 1974 and introduced on a coin purse a year later, Hello Kitty has since exploded into a global phenomenon, becoming one of the most recognized characters in the world. She can be found in 130 countries on more than 50,000 different branded products each year. She has captured the imagination of people of all ages and her heartfelt message of friendship has endeared her to generations of fans.
Sanrio founder, President and CEO Shintaro Tsuji said, I am extremely pleased that Hello Kitty and other popular Sanrio characters will be making their Hollywood debut. Hello Kitty has long been a symbol of friendship and we hope this film will only serve to grow that circle of friendship around the world.
Richard Brener, President and Chief Creative Officer, and Carolyn Blackwood, President and Chief Content Officer, New Line Cinema, said in a joint statement, We are thrilled to partner with Sanrio and FlynnPictureCo. on developing a film based on this treasured icon. It's a rare privilege to have the opportunity to explore the possibilities of such timeless IP. Hello Kitty and her friends have been part of our shared culture for decades, and we look forward to exploring where her newest adventure will take her.
Beau Flynn, CEO, FlynnPictureCo., added, Hello Kitty has been one of the most beloved characters around the world for the last forty-plus years. We're incredibly honored that President Tsuji has entrusted us with the responsibility of bringing her story to the big screen globally for the first time ever, and it's a dream that we get to do this with our long-term partners at New Line and Warner Bros. With the positive and family-oriented values that Hello Kitty and Sanrio embody, there has never been a better time than now to share her message with the world!
ABOUT FLYNNPICTURECO.
Beau Flynns FlynnPictureCo. (FPC) specializes in high-concept, tentpole studio films designed for the worldwide audience. FPC is currently under a three-year overhead deal with New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. (WB), where the banner has had a deal for over 12 years. The production company has done more than $3.2 billion and counting at the global box office. FPC most recently wrapped Disney's Jungle Cruise, with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, which will debut worldwide July 2020. In 2018, FPC had two blockbuster releases starring Johnson, which grossed more than $725 million combined worldwide: New Line/WB's Rampage as well as Legendary/Universal's Skyscraper. FPC starts shooting Red Notice with writer-director Rawson Marshall Thurber, also starring Johnson with Gal Gadot, in October of this year. Past releases also include San Andreas, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and Journey to the Center of the Earth.
ABOUT NEW LINE CINEMA
Building on more than 50 years of innovation and creativity, New Line Cinema continues its long and successful history of producing critically acclaimed hit films that resonate with both mainstream and niche audiences around the world. A unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment since 2008, New Line maintains separate development, production and business affairs operations in coordination with Warner Bros. to maximize film performance and operating efficiencies.
New Line produced the Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit Trilogy, each of which generated close to $3 billion in global receipts. Other New Line films include such popular and acclaimed hits as IT and the upcoming It Chapter Two; Creed & Creed II; The Conjuring 1 & 2, along with The Nun and Annabelle blockbusters; Rampage; San Andreas; Horrible Bosses; Sex and the City; Hairspray; The Notebook; Elf; The Wedding Singer; Seven; Dumb and Dumber; The Mask; and such popular franchises as Final Destination, Rush Hour and Austin Powers, as well as the iconic A Nightmare on Elm Street films.
ABOUT SANRIO
Sanrio is the global lifestyle brand best known for the pop icon Hello Kitty. Home to many endearing characters including Gudetama, Chococat, My Melody, Bad Badtz-Maru and Kerokerokeroppi, Sanrio was founded on the small gift, big smile philosophy - that a small gift can bring happiness and friendship to people of all ages. Since 1960, this philosophy has served as the inspiration for the broad spectrum of unique products and experiences offered by the company. Today, more than 50,000 Hello Kitty-branded items are available in 130 countries. In addition, Sanrio is operating two theme parks in Japan-Sanrio Puroland and Harmonyland-and also licensing Sanrio characters for theme parks overseas including in China.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
02/07/2026
BLAST, a competitive entertainment company focused on esports, has announced more than $133 million in revenue for 2025, representing more than 40% year-over-ye...
02/07/2026
Riedel Communications has announced official SKAARHOJ panel support for SimplyLive production workflows, enabled through the SimplyLive 2.1 release. The integra...
02/07/2026
The Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic has deployed LiveU video-over-bond...
02/07/2026
Gravity Media USA has announced the appointment of Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development, effective July 1, 2026. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Bosto...
02/07/2026
TwelveLabs, a video intelligence company, has announced $100 million in Series B funding co-led by NEA and NAVER Ventures, with participation from Amazon, Radic...
02/07/2026
The Pro Padel League (PPL) has announced a broadcast partnership with USA Sports that will air five PPL championship matches on CNBC during the 2026 season, the...
02/07/2026
LiveLike, a digital fan engagement platform, has announced eight confirmed FIFA ...
02/07/2026
Cobalt Digital has received Future's Best of Show Award, presented by AV Technology at InfoComm 2026, for its blueCORE family of standalone signal processor...
02/07/2026
Synamedia has announced the appointment of Dr. Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transition...
02/07/2026
The Esports Foundation (EF) and Sony Group Corporation have announced an expanded collaboration for the Esports World Cup 2026 (EWC), taking place in Paris, Fra...
02/07/2026
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. ( Z') has announced exclusive broadcast and digital rights for the Bundesliga in India for five years, beginning with the...
02/07/2026
An effort uniting News, Sports, Local, and Telemundo, the 50+-camera live produc...
02/07/2026
Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, and Ben Wang appe...
02/07/2026
Stammering, stuttering, strangulated tones
The Crow Hill Company's latest creation promises to be the most original sound set they've produced to d...
02/07/2026
A new era in unmixing and spectral editing
The latest version of Steinberg's spectral audio-editing software has just arrived, building on the strength...
02/07/2026
Aims to simplify additive synthesis
Sine Machine is the debut launch from Melatonin, a Vienna-based developer who have spent the past six years creating wha...
02/07/2026
Products to remain fully active & supported
Following the news of Native Instruments joining the inMusic brand line-up, Academy and Emmy Award-winning visua...
02/07/2026
What you missed!
Last weekend, Saturday 27 June 2026, saw the debut of Sound On Sounds new GearExpo UK event, the largest dedicated pro-audio event to take ...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Following the successful launch of its inaugural APAC Mentoring Programme last month, the Rise AV APAC Regional Council will bring the conversation around mento...
02/07/2026
Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Used to Shoot Director Takahisa Zeze's Cry Out
Brie Clayton July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Highly mobile camera supports tense and de...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions acquires BFE, expanding its lead in European broadcast, medi...
02/07/2026
Berklee Alum and Faculty Perform at Boston Public Library's 250th Anniversar...
02/07/2026
Broadcast Solutions GmbH, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is acquiring BFE Studio und Medien...
02/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has extended the ingest facility at leading Brazilian sports company LiveMode, work...
02/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/07/2026
Standalone processors acknowledged for the innovation and value they bring to Pro AV
Cobalt Digital, a leading designer and manufacturer of signal processing ...
02/07/2026
Synamedia announced today the appointment of Dr Tzvi Gerstl as Chief Executive Officer. Paul Segre, who has served as CEO for the past six years, will transitio...
New Line Cinema and Sanrio Announce Plan to Bring Hello Kitty to the Big Screen Worldwide March 5, 2019
