The NeverEnding Story Remake: Confirmation, Franchise Plans & Everything We Know

The NeverEnding Story is returning to the big screen with a new film franchise based on the original movie and book series coming soon. Based on Michael Ende's 1979 book, the 1984 live-action film adaptation tells the story of Bastian Bax, a child who disappears from his difficult life into the pages of a magical book. It was praised for both the magical story itself, and the special effects, which were cutting-edge at the time. The film quickly became cemented as a core part of Millennial childhoods, and remains a favorite to this day.

The NeverEnding Story was followed by multiple sequels - The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (1990) and The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia (1994), as well as an animated TV series. Now, the franchise is about to be reinvigorated. This is not the first time that a remake of the film has been discussed, either. In 2009, a remake was reportedly in development, but by 2011, it was announced that issues with the rights had prevented the project from coming to fruition. Thankfully, it seems that those issues have now been resolved, and a remake is officially on the way.

Related 7 Characters Who Need To Return For The NeverEnding Story Remake Not much is known about the upcoming reboot of The NeverEnding Story, but many characters from the original film must make an appearance.

The NeverEnding Story Remake Latest News

An Original Star Weighs In

As the project continues to develop behind the scenes, the latest news sees an original star discussing the NeverEnding Story remake. While celebrating the first film's 40th anniversary, Childlike Empress star Tami Stronach gave her thoughts on the impending re-do of the classic film. Disagreeing with those who think the movie shouldn't be remade, Stronach said "The whole point of it is to inspire creativity and to make sure that every person keeps the kid and the dreamer in them alive."

Read Stronach's full comments here:

There was a huge bidding war in Hollywood and in markets abroad. I just thought it would never happen. I have so many people that I speak with who love The NeverEnding Story , who tell me that no one should touch it, that it’s a travesty. But I really don’t agree. The whole point of it is to inspire creativity and to make sure that every person keeps the kid and the dreamer in them alive. Retelling stories feels like a natural extension of that.

The Childlike Empress was played by Alexandra Johnes in The NeverEnding Story II and by Julie Cox in The NeverEnding Story III.

The NeverEnding Story Remake Is Confirmed

The Producers And Production Company Are Announced

Title Release Date The NeverEnding Story 1984 The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter 1990 The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia 1994 The NeverEnding Story (TV Series) 1995 - 1996

The NeverEnding Story remake was announced in March 2024, with the news that the project will be a reboot of the original as a multi-film franchise. The remake will be co-produced by See-Saw Films and Michael Ende Productions, with producers Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Roman Hocke, and Ralph Gassmann overseeing the project. Gassman and Canning spoke about their reasons for the remake, including the timelessness of the original story, and how "every generation deserves their own journey into Fantastica."

Read Gassman and Canning's full comments below:

Canning: The story is both timely and timeless, and really has an opportunity to be told in a fresh way. And part of the specialness of the book is that you can go back to it at different ages in your life and find different levels of meaning. So how wonderful that we have this opportunity to do a fresh perspective that will have new layers and meanings. We just believe that every generation deserves their own journey into Fantastica. Gassmann: We’ve been completely overwhelmed with interest from the television and film industry in recent years. But it was only about four to five years ago when we felt it was right to go back to Fantastica with new, fresher attention. So then we looked at hundreds and hundreds of requests and just thought, let’s see if we find a potential partner amongst them that is so compelling that they make us jump into the boat with them and go on this crazy adventure. But we knew we had to do it right and find the right partner, and luckily See-Saw was amongst them.

The NeverEnding Story Remake Story Details

Bastian Bax's Story Will Remain The Same

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While the only details of the adaptation so far are that this new version will be a 'fresh perspective' on the original, it's extremely likely that the core beats of the story will remain the same. The NeverEnding Story sees Bastian escape into the fantasy world of a book, where he must help to save the world of Fantasia from a creeping evil called 'The Nothing'. The Empress is sick, and a young warrior, Atreyu, must go on a quest to try and heal her. His belief in the power of imagination is what will truly save Fantasia - and may even bring Falkor to the real world.

While it is likely that many elements of this story will change - some must stay the same. Falkor, the mystical Luck Dragon, is an iconic part of this world, and must reappear in the remake. Similarly, it would be difficult to imagine a NeverEnding Story without the heartbreak of the Swamp of Sadness, and the loss that Atreyu suffers there. However, the magic of The NeverEnding Story is that it is a story about stories, and imagination, and that means the possibilities are endless.

The Neverending Story 4.0 Where to Watch stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available *Availability in US Based on the German novel of the same name, The NeverEnding Story centers on Bastian Bux, a young boy who finds a book about a fantasy world called Fantasia, and becomes inexplicably connected to the book's plot as he begins to read it. Barret Oliver stars as Bastian, with Noah Hathaway, Tami Stronach, and Alan Oppenheimer as part of the main cast. Director Wolfgang Petersen Release Date July 20, 1984 Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Cast Patricia Hayes , Noah Hathaway , Barret Oliver , Sydney Bromley , Gerald McRaney , Tami Stronach Runtime 94 minutes Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Writers Herman Weigel , Wolfgang Petersen Budget $27 million Expand