King Features Syndicate has announced development of a new animated film inspired by interactive children’s comic strip, Slylock Fox, which follows the renewal of the company’s representation agreement for the property, previously known as Slylock Fox and Comics for Kids. The film will follow the Sherlock-Holmes-esque detective Slylock Fox and his devoted sidekick, Max Mouse, as they match wits against a cast of eccentric villains.
Evan Daugherty, writer of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Divergent, and Snow White and the Huntsman, has signed on to write and produce the film with art direction provided by Chromosphere design and animation studio. King Features president C.J. Kettler will serve as executive producer.
“Young readers around the world look forward to solving the fun, interactive brainteasers in Slylock Fox every day, and we are thrilled to bring these iconic characters to life on the big screen,” said Kettler. “Evan Daugherty and Chromosphere Studios both do incredible work, and with this partnership, we will be able to create an engaging and meaningful story that captures the true spirit of the comic’s mysterious adventures.”
Slylock Fox creator Bob Weber Jr. added, “It has been a true joy creating Slylock Fox over the years to bring readers of the comic pages something fun and different with interactive activities centered around core education themes. We look forward to the next Slylock Fox project and know that King Features, along with Chromosphere and Evan Daugherty, will create an exciting, animated adaptation that is sure to captivate our current fans and also reach a whole new audience.”
The popular interactive comic strip Slylock Fox teaches young readers about interesting topics, encouraging them to use facts, logic, attention to visual detail, lateral thinking, and other cognitive thinking skills to solve fun, puzzling mysteries.
Slylock Fox is one of several properties in development at King Features for television and film. The company is working to adapt its iconic comic strip properties for today’s audiences while bolstering its portfolio of properties in other genres. Recently, the company debuted the adaptation of the global video game phenomenon Cuphead, which made its streaming debut on Netflix last February as The Cuphead Show! Additional episodes released last month.