Irish filmmaker Kealan O’Rourke is set to write the script for US family film ‘Happy Krampus’.
The project, based on an original idea by O’Rourke, will be a fully live action project and follows Santa’s forgotten helper and giver of coal to naughty children (Krampus) – who has lost his job at the North Pole due to modern parents spoiling their children. To prove to the world that he is still needed, Krampus travels to New York where his plan to replace Christmas with Krampus Day. It is up to Krampus and his new friends to save Christmas from himself.
The film is being developed and produced by Walden Media and Jim Henson Company.
Speaking to IFTN about the project, O'Rourke said: "As a filmmaker who grew up watching movies from The Jim Henson Company, it is an incredible thrill to be working on my own original story with them. As soon as I met Lisa Henson and Blanca Lista last Summer at their studio in Los Angeles, I knew that this was a very special place. They have a very artist oriented approach to their work that is wonderfully refreshing. And then for us to partner with Walden Media feels like a perfect fit. With Happy Krampus! we plan to make the ultimate Naughty List movie. With a blend of live-action and CGI, Happy Krampus! will bring a quirkier side of Christmas that we’ve never seen before."
O’Rourke, a National Film School graduate, has previously written and directed animated short ‘The Boy In The Bubble’ which picked up awards at the Galway Film Fleadh, the Omaha Film Festival and the Palm Springs International ShortFest as well as winning a 2012 IFTA Award for Best Animation.
The filmmaker is also attached to several major films in development including 'Bolivar' and 'The Houdini Box'.