Sony Beats Amazon for Wolf's Belly, with Alfonso Cuarón Producing and John August Adapting
Sony Pictures has won the film rights to Wolf's Belly, a graphic novel by John August, beating several rival studios including Amazon in a competitive auction, according to Deadline.
August will adapt his own book for the screen, and Alfonso Cuarón will produce. Gabriela Rodriguez is also producing alongside Cuarón through their company Esperanto Filmoj, with Richard Schwartz executive producing. Schwartz originally brought the project into the company after August shared the graphic novel exclusively with their team.
For a writer with August's track record, the package carries real weight. His feature credits include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which grossed $474.9 million worldwide, and the Guy Ritchie-directed live-action Aladdin, which crossed $1.054 billion at the global box office. Both were Disney releases. His earlier screenplay for Big Fish earned him a BAFTA nomination, and he also wrote Charlie's Angels and its sequel Full Throttle: Charlie's Angels — all Sony films.
Cuarón needs little introduction. His body of work spans Gravity, Roma, Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Y Tu Mamá También. Rodriguez was a producer on Roma alongside him.
What makes Wolf's Belly stand out is its premise. The graphic novel is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood in which Red and her Grandmother find themselves trapped inside a magical void — the wolf's belly — alongside other fairytale characters the wolf has devoured. Among the swallowed: the Boy Who Cried Wolf and a fourth Little Pig. The story grapples with the danger of wanting too much and what happens when ambition consumes you.
The book was published in 2026 by the Macmillan imprint Roaring Brook Press, with illustrations by character animation designer Simón Estrada. August delivered final edits on the graphic novel in 2025, per his own website. It has received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal — two of the most influential review outlets in American publishing.
August and Cuarón decided early on that Wolf's Belly should be a live-action project rather than animation. The film is being conceived for all audiences.
The deal threads together a familiar chain of relationships. August's Sony credits made the studio a natural home. Schwartz, who repped the project within Esperanto Filmoj, initially carried it in. Jodi Reamer at Writers House represented the book rights, and Connie Hsu at Macmillan Roaring Brook served as the novel's editor.
August is represented by UTA, 3 Arts Entertainment, and HJTH. Cuarón is repped by WME and Blue Marble Management.
No release date, budget, or production timeline has been announced.
