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Hello Kitty Feature Taps David Derrick Jr. and John Aoshima to Direct for 2028 Release

The appointment signals fresh momentum on Sanrio’s first wide Hollywood feature after years of rotating writers and directors.

Overview

  • New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation named David Derrick Jr. and John Aoshima as directors Monday for Hello Kitty’s first Hollywood theatrical feature.
  • Studios are holding a July 2028 theatrical date for the release, which outlets list as either July 21 or July 28, marking the character’s Hollywood big-screen debut.
  • Ramsey Naito will produce alongside Beau Flynn, with FlynnPictureCo.’s Shelby Thomas overseeing the project.
  • No plot details have been shared, and Jeff Chan is writing the current script following earlier drafts by multiple writers from a treatment by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon.
  • The film has been in development for years following Sanrio’s 2019 licensing deal with New Line and FlynnPictureCo., and previously attached director Leo Matsuda is no longer listed.