The minds behind “Paddington” and “Dear Evan Hansen” are joining forces to bring the furry toys to the big screen.

Labubu movie reveals new details

The minds behind "Paddington" and "Dear Evan Hansen" are joining forces to bring the furry toys to the big screen.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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March 18, 2026 8:00 p.m. ET

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Labubu toys in Bangkok on March 8. Credit:

Patrick Chengzhi Wang/Getty

- Sony and Pop Mart are collaborating to make a live-action/CGI Labubu movie.

- Paul King (*Paddington*, *Wonka*) will co-write, produce, and direct the film.

- Steven Levenson (*Dear Evan Hansen*, *Tick, Tick…Boom!*) is co-writing the movie with King.

Labubus are entering their next phase of world domination: movie stardom.

Pop Mart and Sony Pictures officially announced that they are co-developing a feature film based on the trendy Chinese plush toys. The film will blend live-action and CGI elements, according to a press release.

The companies have enlisted Paul King, the filmmaker behind the *Paddington* franchise, to direct and produce the project. He'll also co-write the film with screenwriter Steven Levenson.

Paul King directing Nicole Kidman on the set of 'Paddington' (2015).

Paul King directing Nicole Kidman on the set of 'Paddington'

Michael Schaefer (*The Martian*) and Wenxin She (*A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood*) will produce the film alongside King. Kasing Lung, the Hong Kong–born illustrator who created Labubu, is executive producing the movie.

Lung launched *The Monsters*, a picture book series inspired by Nordic folklore, in 2015. The mischievous Labubu quickly became the most popular character in the franchise via collectible figurines that were produced by How2Work, and her name became synonymous with the entire toy line, which rose to further prominence when Pop Mart began selling the furry dolls in 2019.

After working on British TV comedies like *The Mighty Boosh* and *Dogface* in the 2000s, King made his feature directorial debut with 2009's *Bunny and the Bull*. He earned widespread acclaim for writing and directing 2014's *Paddington*, a live-action/CGI hybrid film based on Michael Bond's beloved children's book series, and received even further praise for the 2017 sequel *Paddington 2*.

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King co-wrote and directed his biggest box office hit to date, *Wonka*, in 2023. The fantasy-musical-adventure-comedy, which starred Timothée Chalamet as a young version of Roald Dahl's iconic chocolatier, earned over $630 million worldwide on a reported $125 million budget. He also returned to executive produce and write the story for 2024's *Paddington in Peru*, which was helmed by Dougal Wilson.

The filmmaker was previously reportedly attached to direct a live-action Prince Charming movie for Disney. In November 2024, he also confirmed that a *Wonka* sequel was in the works

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Levenson is best known for writing the book for the Tony-winning Broadway musical *Dear Evan Hansen*. He also wrote the screenplay for the 2021 film adaptation of the play, and also penned the script for Lin-Manuel Miranda's 2021 movie musical *Tick, Tick…Boom!*, which starred Andrew Garfield. Levenson also worked on the TV shows *Masters of Sex*, *Fosse/Verdon*, and *Up Here*.

- Children & Family Movies

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Source: “EW Children”