Live-Action Labubu Movie Plot Revealed by Co-Writer, Here’s What to Expect

Labubu has spent the last few years clawing its way from niche collectible to full-blown global phenomenon, showing up on designer handbags and celebrity Instagram feeds alike. The toothy, rabbit-eared plush toys from Pop Mart have become so ubiquitous that a leap to the big screen felt almost inevitable.

That leap is now officially underway, with Sony Pictures and Pop Mart developing a feature film that blends live-action and CGI, directed by Paul King, the filmmaker behind the ‘Paddington’ franchise and ‘Wonka.’ The project has been described as being in early development, with no release date confirmed yet.

New details are starting to clarify what the movie will actually be about, and it turns out the story is going deeper than just cute chaos. According to Simon Farnaby, who has joined the project as a co-writer, the film will center on the backstory of where these creatures actually came from, rooted in Nordic mythology.

Farnaby, who has worked with King on both ‘Paddington’ and ‘Wonka,’ described being won over by the lore behind the toys once creator Kasing Lung walked him through it personally. He said he was presented with a genuinely lovely backstory about the characters’ origins, and that he and King believed there was potential for something touching and beautiful built around those stories, according to Variety.

Farnaby’s involvement marks a shift from the film’s earlier writing plans. Steven Levenson, known for ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ and ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!,’ was originally set to co-write the script alongside King, but Farnaby has stepped in due to King’s more immediate commitments on a Tom Holland-led Fred Astaire biopic.

The project remains in its early stages, but the involvement of King’s frequent collaborator suggests the creative team behind ‘Labubu’ is leaning on proven chemistry to shape the story. Farnaby has been candid that his own first impression of the toys wasn’t exactly reverent, describing them bluntly as the kind of toys girls put on their backpacks before learning more about the mythology underneath.

Labubu originated as part of Kasing Lung’s illustrated book series ‘The Monsters,’ which the Hong Kong-born artist launched in 2015, drawing inspiration from Nordic folklore. Within that world, Labubu functions as a forest elf, part of a wider cast of mischievous but ultimately kindhearted creatures who get swept up in fantastical hijinks throughout Lung’s stories.

That mythology-rich foundation gives the upcoming film plenty of material to work with beyond just replicating the toy’s now-iconic look. Lung is serving as an executive producer on the movie, a role expected to help preserve the character’s original creative vision as it moves from picture books and blind-box figurines into a full theatrical production.

Michael Schaefer, known for producing ‘The Martian,’ and Wenxin She, who worked on ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,’ are attached to produce the film alongside King. Together, the production team pairs experienced Hollywood storytellers with the character’s original creator, an approach that seems designed to keep the film grounded in Labubu’s roots even as it scales up for a global audience.

Given Pop Mart’s valuation, which has climbed to nearly $40 billion and surpassed longtime toy giant Mattel, the stakes for translating that success into a compelling film are considerable. If Farnaby and King’s instincts about the character’s Nordic-inspired backstory hold up, ‘Labubu’ could end up being a very different kind of toy movie than audiences are expecting.

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