According to multiple news sources such as Variety, a new feature film based on the Thomas & Friends franchise is currently in development. Thomas & Friends is a British children’s television series based on the The Railway Series books written by Reverend Wilbert Awdry. It tells the stories of multiple anthropomorphized train characters on the island of Sodor with the main character being the eponymous Thomas the Tank Engine. The series, running since 1984, used live action models for the trains in its early days but has since adopted a CGI style in recent series. It has spawned multiple feature-length specials and direct-to-video films and even a widely-released theatrical feature-length film in 2000, Thomas and the Magic Railroad.

And just in time for the 75th anniversary of the book series, it has been announced that Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Christopher Robin) will be directing the newest Thomas & Friends film, presumably for a theatrical release. The currently untitled film will be a hybrid of live-action and animation with Forster co-producing the film alongside Renée Wolfe (Christopher Robin) and Mattel Films. The film’s script has already been written by Alyssa Hill (A Taste of Power) and Jesse Wigutow (It Runs in the Family). No release date has been announced yet.

Are you excited for a new Thomas & Friends feature film? What do you think of Marc Foster directing it? Let us know in the comments below!

Edited by: Kelly Conley