HBO and Mattel doll up "American Girl" deal

By Tatiana Siegel

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - HBO Films and Mattel-owned doll and book retailer American Girl have signed a production deal for films, series, specials and documentaries, the companies said.

The first project under the pact will be an untitled live-action theatrical film based on the brand's Depression-era doll Kit Kittredge, which debuted as a character in 2000.

The film originally was set up at Walden Media, the company behind "Bridge to Terabithia," but it recently abandoned the project.

Picturehouse, a joint venture of HBO and New Line Cinema, will release the franchise's first big-screen foray, with production beginning in the summer. No director is attached. Actress Julia Roberts will serve as a producer.

Although a film targeting girls ages 3-12 might seem a strange fit for the indie distributor, whose slate includes such adult fare as "Pan's Labyrinth" and "A Prairie Home Companion," Picturehouse president Bob Berney said the company is looking to branch out into new areas.

"We want to show that Picturehouse can incorporate any genre, any demographic in a really high-quality way," said Berney. "As an indie, to reach a younger girl audience is a really exciting prospect."

The book and retail phenomenon already has spawned such telefilms as Disney Channel's "Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front" last year and WB Network's "Felicity: An American Girl Adventure" in 2005.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter