Marissa Meyer’s best-selling science fiction series The Lunar Chronicles is officially being adapted into an animated feature film. The project is being developed by Locksmith Animation in collaboration with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, with a planned release date of November 3, 2028.

This marks the first official screen adaptation of Meyer’s futuristic retellings of classic fairy tales such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White, which are reimagined in a dystopian, interplanetary setting.

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Format and Production

The adaptation will be a full-length animated feature, not a live-action film. This direction allows for visual flexibility and stylistic ambition, which are appropriate given the high-concept, sci-fi nature of the source material. According to reports from Cartoon Brew, The Wrap, and SlashFilm, the animated format was chosen to best represent the expansive world-building and advanced technology that the novels feature.

Locksmith Animation, based in London, is the primary studio producing the film. Locksmith previously worked with 20th Century Studios on Ron’s Gone Wrong and has since entered a multi-film development agreement with Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. The Lunar Chronicles project is part of that collaboration.

Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) has been named as the visual effects partner, bringing their extensive experience in animation and digital environments to the production.

Creative Team

• Director: Noëlle Raffaele
  Raffaele will make her feature directorial debut with this project. She has previously worked as a story artist on The LEGO Ninjago Movie and The Marvels.

• Screenwriters: Lindsey Ferrentino, Kalen Egan, and Travis Sentell
  Ferrentino is a playwright and screenwriter known for Amy and the Orphans. Egan and Sentell are known for writing on series such as The Man in the High Castle.

• Producer: Christina Steinberg
  Steinberg’s past credits include Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Rise of the Guardians. She will produce the film alongside Locksmith Animation’s Julie Lockhart and Natalie Fischer.

• Production Design: Es Devlin and Patrick Hanenberger
  Devlin is an award-winning stage designer. Hanenberger is known for his work on Rise of the Guardians and The Lego Ninjago Movie.

• Costume Design: Laura and Kate Mulleavy
  The Mulleavy sisters are founders of the fashion house Rodarte and will bring their experience in haute couture to the animated costume design.

Source Material

The Lunar Chronicles is a four-part series of young adult novels published between 2012 and 2015. The main novels include:

1. Cinder (2012)

2. Scarlet (2013)

3. Cress (2014)

4. Winter (2015)

The series also includes prequels and companion texts such as Fairest and Stars Above. The story follows four young women whose lives intertwine in a futuristic world plagued by disease, cybernetic technology, and an authoritarian monarchy on the Moon. Each protagonist is inspired by a fairy tale archetype but reinterpreted within a science fiction framework.

Release and Future Plans

The film is currently in active development. Warner Bros. and Locksmith Animation announced the project publicly in June 2025, confirming the release date of November 3, 2028. According to SlashFilm, the studios plan for this film to be the first in a trilogy adapting the main arc of The Lunar Chronicles novels.

Casting announcements have not yet been made. Production timelines, trailer releases, and promotional materials are expected to follow over the next two years, as the project moves into pre-production and then animation.

Summary of Key Details

With its confirmed release date and high-profile production team, The Lunar Chronicles is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated animated films of 2028. The decision to pursue animation over live-action is consistent with the complexity and scale of Meyer’s universe, which spans Earth and its lunar colony, Luna. As development continues, further updates on casting and production milestones are expected to follow.