Will Speck & Josh Gordon To Helm ‘Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile’ At Sony Pictures

EXCLUSIVE; Sony Pictures has set Will Speck & Josh Gordon to direct Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, based on the bestselling Bernard Waber children’s book. Will Davies is adapting the screenplay and it will be a live-action hybrid film. The picture will be released July 22, 2022.

First published in 1965, the venerable children’s tale revolves around the title reptile who lives in a house on East 88th Street in New York City. Lyle enjoys helping the Primm family with everyday chores, and playing with the neighborhood kids. He’s the happiest crocodile any home ever had…until one neighbor insists that Lyle belongs in a zoo. Mr. Grumps and his cat, Loretta, don’t like crocodiles, and everything Lyle does to win them over seems to go wrong. It will take all of Lyle’s charm—and courage—to reveal the hero, and friend, behind the big crocodile smile.

Speck & Gordon are producing alongside Hutch Parker. Dan Wilson is executive producing for Hutch Parker Entertainment and Kevin K. Vafi is executive producing for Speck & Gordon.

Speck & Gordon are in post on Distant, a sci-fi adventure for Amblin Partners starring Anthony Ramos and Naomi Scott. They also created and executive produced the upcoming Marvel and Hulu series Hit Monkey.

Davies also wrote How to Train Your Dragon, which was set up at DreamWorks Animation, and Johnny English Strikes Again among many other credits. Additionally, he is writing the series Man Vs. Bee for Netflix with Rowan Atkinson. That one is about to start filming.

Speck & Gordon are repped by CAA and attorney Warren Dern. Davies is represented by UTA, Cathy King and attorney Darren Trattner.