New Hello Kitty film tap David Derrick Jr. and John Aoshima to direct

Straight from the gorefest that is Mortal Kombat II, New Line Cinema — in tandem with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation — is handling the upcoming Hello Kitty film set to release in 2028 and act as the iconic Japanese brand’s Hollywood debut. Directing the project is David Derrick Jr., who made his directorial debut with Disney’s Moana 2, and John Aoshima, who is mostly known for directing Gravity Falls, Ducktales, and Ultraman: Rising.

Deadline reports on the development, pegging live action Moana producer, Beau Flynn, as its producer with Ramsay Naito on the docket, too. The latter has worked across tons of different animation studios. Previous drafts of the film, which lacks much in terms of public plot were inked by Dana Fox, Katie Dippold, Adam Sztykiel, Jenny Jaffe, Lindsey Beer, and Tamara Becher-Wilkinson. Currently, though, Jeff Chan takes hold of the script.

In case you’re somehow living under a rock, here’s the rundown on Hello Kitty. Created by Sanrio, Hello Kitty has been a global phenomenon, selling about 50,000 types of merch across 130 different countries. There have been TV shows, crossovers, and even movies, but this 2028 release will mark the character’s Hollywood debut.