Archive · 19 Dec 2025
Paul King to Direct Labubu Live-Action Film
Paul King, the director of 'Paddington' and 'Wonka', is making a live-action movie about Labubu, a popular collectible toy.
Labubu started as a picture book character and became a big deal in East and Southeast Asia.
The toys are sold in blind boxes, which makes them exciting to collect.
King is known for making fun and magical movies, so fans are excited to see what he does with Labubu.
This movie is part of a trend where toys are turned into big movies, like 'Barbie' and 'Sonic the Hedgehog'.
Paul King will direct and produce a live-action film based on the Labubu collectible toys.
Labubu is a line of plush toys created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung, sold exclusively by Pop Mart in blind boxes.
The toys became a cultural phenomenon in East and Southeast Asia in 2024.
King's previous films, 'Wonka' and 'Paddington', were highly successful, earning over $635 million and nearly $500 million globally, respectively.
The move to adapt Labubu into a film is part of a growing trend of toy-to-movie adaptations in Hollywood.
- Who
- Paul King (director and producer), Kasing Lung (toy creator)
- What
- Live-action film based on Labubu collectible toys
- When
- Early stages of development
- Where
- Hollywood, with toys popular in East and Southeast Asia
- Why
- To capitalize on the popularity of Labubu toys and the trend of toy-to-movie adaptations
- Director
- Paul King
- Producer
- Paul King, Department M, Wenxin She
- Toy Creator
- Kasing Lung
- Toy Retailer
- Pop Mart
- Toy Origin
- Picture book series
- Box Office Successes
- Wonka ($635M), Paddington (nearly $500M)
- Toy Sales Method
- Blind boxes
- Popularity Region
- East and Southeast Asia
