Warner Bros. nears deal for animated feature

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Warner Bros. is strutting back into animation. The studio is in final negotiations to acquire a movie pitch centering on a peacock from writers Austin Winsberg and Heath Corson.

The film's story is being kept under wraps.

The move marks a bolstering of animation efforts for Warners, which was once very active in the sector but has since scaled back its theatrical efforts. With director George Miller, the studio did develop and produce 2006's "Happy Feet," the music-themed penguin movie that earned nearly $380 million worldwide and won the animation Oscar. The studio is developing a sequel.

Warners, which controls vaunted properties like "Superman" and "Scooby-Doo," does produce a slew of animation content for television and home video.

Winsberg is a veteran TV writer who has worked on shows such as "Jake in Progress" and "Still Standing."

(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)