Scholastic Entertainment is turning a new page, partnering with Imagine kids & family to adapt the YA novel The Trail into a feature film. Written by Meika Hashimoto, The Trail follows a 12-year-old boy’s adventure on the Appalachian Trail as part of a bucket list he vows to complete after the death of his best friend.
Imagine’s kids & family president Stephanie Sperber, and Scholastic Entertainment’s president Iole Lucchese and SVP and GM Caitlin Friedman will serve as producers. Additionally, Imagine’s Katie Donahoe and Will Davis will serve as creative executives on the project and Quinn Emmett will write the adaptation.
Imagine Entertainment launched its kids and family division earlier this year. Since then, it has inked a raft of agreements, including a deal with Little, Brown and Company’s publishing imprint JIMMY Patterson Books to develop five titles for TV, film and digital platforms; a deal with Nickelodeon to develop the live-action series Untitled Space Show (working title); and a deal with toyco and event producer Breyer to develop and co-produce a live-action equestrian-themed TV series.
YA content, in particular, seems to be a focus for the prodco as the division secured the film adaptation rights for the bestselling YA rom-com Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt earlier this month. This comes as streamers and broadcasters alike focus on the young adult audience with recent efforts like Netflix’s film To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Hulu’s upcoming limited series Looking for Alaska creating significant social media buzz.