Since when did Harold have so many adults in his life? Per Deadline, Sex Education’s Tanya Reynolds has now joined Zachary Levi, Zooey Deschanel, Lil Rel Howery, Ravi Patel, and Camille Guaty in Sony’s upcoming live-action Harold and the Purple Crayon movie. From A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood to Adaptation, there are a million ways to introduce a new protagonist into what might, in other hands, be a straightforward narrative. But we have to admit, we’ve been feeling pretty stumped since The Hollywood Reporter announced Levi as the first member of the adaptation’s cast last year. Because when we think about author Crockett Johnson’s beloved children’s book series, we think of Harold, who is a 4-year-old boy, and, well, his magical purple crayon.
According to Deadline, the adaptation is currently in post-production and is scheduled to release in theaters on January 27, 2023. Director Carlos Saldanha and screenwriters David Guion and Michael Handelman (the duo behind films like Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and Dinner for Schmucks) have yet to reveal any further plot details about their take on the familiar story. As THR pointed out in 2021, Spike Jonze, Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, and Will Smith’s Overbook have all considered putting pen to paper to adapt Harold in the past, while Sony Pictures Animation previously worked on an animated adaptation. All of which is to say: Will someone play … the crayon? Will Levi play a grown-up version of Harold who rediscovers his fanatical art implement 40 years on? Is he the titular preschooler himself?
This post has been updated throughout.