Universal is beginning to set the wheels in motion for its live-action Curious George movie, recruiting Andrew Adamson to co-write and direct the long-rumored feature.

Word comes by way of Deadline, revealing that Adamson – best known for his work on The Chronicles of Narnia and DreamWorks’ dormant Shrek franchise – will be the one guiding that curious little monkey onto the big screen. Details remain few and far between at such an early stage, but we understand Universal’s adaptation will mine inspiration from “the classic book series by Margret and Hans Augusto Rey.”

Said to be unrelated to the animated Curious George movie that featured Will Ferrell and Drew Barrymore, Universal’s plans for a live-action spin on the cutesy primate come at a lucrative time for the sub-genre. Thanks in large part to Disney – the House of Mouse has pumped out Alice in Wonderland and The Jungle Book ahead of new features focusing on Beauty and the Beast and other classic fairytales – repackaging animated hits as live-action films continues to be all the rage, and today’s tidbit is just another example of that.

No word yet on casting, but behind the scenes Brian Grazer and Ron Howard will produce on behalf of Imagine Entertainment, joining David Kirschner and Jon Shapiro.

Curious George is bound for the big screen. But what do you make of Universal’s mission to introduce the titular monkey to the moviegoing masses?

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