While it gears up for the premiere of summer tentpole pic Smurfs next month, Paramount Animation is keeping busy with a new kidlit adaptation on its movie slate—one that packs STEM facts and SEL themes into a story about eating poop. (Yes, you read that right.) 

The studio is developing Mark Pett’s 2021 picture book I Eat Poop: A Dung Beetle Story (pictured) to be produced as a CG-animated film under its first-look deal with actor Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort (Deadpool & Wolverine, IF). Songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul—who have penned tunes for the musical Dear Evan Hansen and upcoming Seuss pic Oh, the Places You’ll Go!—will also be involved through their Ampersand shingle.

Published by Roaring Brook Press, I Eat Poop tags along with a young dung beetle who learns to overcome his insecurity about eating poop and embrace his unique role in the insect kingdom, eventually standing up to the ground beetle bullies at his school. The quirky story also weaves in plenty of scientific facts about bugs.

Pett’s books—which also include kid titles such as Lizard From the Park, The Boy and the Airplane and The Girl and the Bicycle—have collectively sold more than half a million copies.

While there’s no word yet on the project’s release date, it does have one big name officially on board, with Oscar-winning filmmaker and Pixar alum Josh Cooley writing the script. Best known for helming Toy Story 4 (2019) and last year’s Transformers One, Cooley is also in negotiations to direct I Eat Poop. 

Under their first-look deal, Maximum Effort and Paramount are already working on projects including a Mighty Mouse movie and an adaptation of Kay Thompson’s 1950s Eloise kids book series.