Coming soon: Knut the Hollywood movie
Kate Connolly in Berlin
Tuesday January 1, 2008
The Guardian
It is yet to be seen whether he will get to press his paws into the concrete of Hollywood's Walk of Fame, but the top grossing polar bear of all time is about to sign a contract that will see him star in his own potential blockbuster.
Knut, the polar bear who hit the headlines around the world after being rejected by his mother at birth just over a year ago, is now being eyed up for even greater stardom.
His keepers at Berlin zoo are in negotiations with the Hollywood producer Ash Shah, whose films include Supernova and All the Rage, to make a feature film starring Knut. Shah is reported to have paid the zoo an initial fee of $100,000 (£50,000) and to have offered a further $5m in licence fees.
The zoo director, Bernhard Blaskiewitz, confirmed the negotiations but refused to go into detail.
The film-makers hope a Knut movie will repeat the success of other animal films such as Finding Nemo and The Lion King, which are both animated.
The polar bear has been nicknamed the "milliobear" for the money he has raised for the zoo. More than 2.5 million people have paid to visit him, with more revenue coming from licensed souvenirs.
Knut is due to make his screen debut in March. He will appear in the German film Knut and Friends, a story about bears growing up, in which his co-stars include a polar bear family from the Arctic and two brown bears from Belarus.
Coming soon: Knut the Hollywood movie
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