We Bought a Zoo sounds like the punchline to a childrens joke, or maybe a plot point in a Kevin James comedy that isn't too heavy on realism. But the book by Benjamin Mee isn't just a true story, but it's something of a drama, about himself, his cancer-ridden wife and his children buying a rundown zoo in England and taking care of the 200 animals living there.
Of course, that's a story too amazing not to be a movie, so Aline Brosh McKenna-- the write of 27 Dresses and The Devil Wears Prada-- has been brought in to adapt it for Fox. According to THR, Julie Yorn will be producing, with Marc Gordon co-producing and John Fox and Alex Young overseeing for the studio.
The story sounds like a bit of a departure for McKenna, given that it's getting away from light romance and delving into death, family, and, uh, wild animals. But more power to her-- the woman clearly knows how to write a crowdpleaser, and Mee's story sounds just wild and crazy enough to get butts in seats, and just emotional enough to please McKeena's typical chick-heavy audience. Cross your fingers that all the animals won't be CGI, and we should be good to go.
