The Emoji Movie

Movie executives are texting each other dollar signs and smiley faces today as Deadline is reporting that Sony Pictures Animation has won an intense bidding war to purchase a pitch for a movie about Emoji.

The little characters that have become a worldwide instant messaging staple (as well as a fun way to summarize movies) originally came out of Japan in the late ’90s, where the word “Emoji” is a literal translation of “picture” (e) + “character” (moji). However, Sony is not purchasing a public domain word, they have bought a detailed pitch co-written by Eric Siegel (TBS’s “Men At Work”) and Anthony Leondis (Igor), with the latter directing the feature. Apparently Leondis created a series of storyboards outlining the entire film, which also drew the attention of Paramount and Warner Bros. until Sony head Tom Rothman gave the go-ahead to SPA president Kristine Belson to aggressively pursue the project, which may also have rival pitches around town.

Leondis recently directed an animated feature for Dreamworks Animation titled B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations, which according to the report is now complete despite not having a release date due to that studio’s recent restructuring. That film will feature the voices of Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Matt Bomer and Seth Rogen.