New Line Cinema, Sanrio and FlynnPictureCo. will develop an English language film based on the venerable kid brand Hello Kitty. It’s the first movie deal outside Japan in the brand’s 45-year history, the first time Sanrio has granted film rights to Hello Kitty and other popular characters—including Gudetama, My Melody, Little Twin Stars and more from its expansive universe—to a major film studio. The film will be produced by FlynnPictureCo’s Beau Flynn and executive produced by Wendy Jacobson.

The brand began in 1974, introduced on a coin purse. A year later, Hello Kitty was a global phenomenon, and is in 130 countries on more than 50,000 different branded products each year. They’ll now have to come up with a narrative, but sometimes the hardest part for movies is to anchor it around a recognizable brand.

Sanrio founder, President and CEO Shintaro Tsuji said, “I am extremely pleased...