Thomas the Tank Engine, the little train created in the 1940s by Reverend W.V. Awdry, will be the hero of a new film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
More than 100 million books of Thomas’s adventures have been sold worldwide. The blue train inspired a British television series, Thomas and Friends, in 1984 and starred in the series Shining Time Station in the United States five years later. In 2000, a film called Thomas and the Magic Railroad was produced.
The new film will include real action and computer-animated scenes. Screenwriter Josh Klausner (Shrek the Third) has been hired to write the story, and the film is expected to hit theatres in spring 2011.
In addition, a new animated television series is in the works for next year to celebrate Thomas’s 65th birthday.