HIT Entertainment has attached Shane Acker, director of 9, to its live action Thomas the Tank Engine film set on the Island of Sodor.

The creative team also includes Weta Workshop, Mattel’s entertainment properties design team and producer Julia Pistor (Charlotte's Web, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events). Mattel partnered to give the narrative and visuals a franchise-minded structure, and will continue to contribute to the project in concert with the filmmakers and brand marketing teams.

“For us, an evergreen property like Thomas is a unique opportunity to both enhance and reinvent the characters to live across multiple media," says David Voss, vice president of Mattel’s entertainment design group. "This is an exciting opportunity to take Thomas to a whole different level, while maintaining its core essence.” 

“Mattel is a major strategic partner for the Thomas toy franchise and integral to its phenomenal success," says Jeff Dunn, chief executive officer of HIT Entertainment. "Engaging Mattel’s entertainment design team to re-imagine the toys for an older audience was a natural choice for our film production group.  Similarly, we’re delighted to have the expertise of Weta Workshop to bring state-of-the-art design to this compelling project.”