Jeff Kinney to Write and Illustrate The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary

Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS, has acquired the rights to publish The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary, an all-new book by #1 bestselling author Jeff Kinney that will release in a one-day national lay-down on Tuesday, March 16, 2010. It offers an inside look at how Kinney’s bestselling novel in cartoons, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the first book in the phenomenal series, moved from the printed page to the big screen in the Twentieth Century Fox film adaptation, in theaters everywhere April 2, 2010. With all-new illustrations and many never-before-seen full-color movie stills, storyboards, and preliminary concept drawings, The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary book goes behind the scenes to humorously chronicle the making of the film.

“When I decided to work with Twentieth Century Fox to bring Diary of a Wimpy Kid to life as a live-action movie, I didn’t know what to expect,” said Jeff Kinney. “I was fascinated by the filmmaking process, and I thought my readers might be as wide-eyed and interested as I was. In The Wimpy Kid Move Diary, I’ve tried to tell the story of how a movie gets made in a way that will entertain and inform kids.”

In chapters covering “The Pitch” and “Casting” to “The Table Read” and “Test Screenings,” Kinney combines images from the film with his own iconic cartoons to deliver an informative yet funny companion for fans.

“Jeff has a genuine devotion to his incredible fan base,” said Charles Kochman, Executive Editor at Abrams. “By taking his audience with him behind the scenes, Jeff will help young readers enjoy the experience of seeing their favorite book make the transition to a major motion picture using the same words-and-pictures approach that has made the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books an international success.”

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie is based on the first book in the #1 bestselling series by Jeff Kinney. With over 27 million Diary of a Wimpy Kid books in print, Kinney’s work has been widely credited for its ability to turn reluctant readers on to books. He has won awards voted on by students in schools around the globe. The books have been sold in more than 30 countries around the world, are a fixture on the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and IndieBound bestseller lists, and consistently sit at the top of the New York Times lists since publication.

Books in the series are, in order of publication, Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2008), Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (2008), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (2009), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2009). The fifth book in the series will be published in fall 2010.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie stars Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Steve Zahn, Rachael Harris, and Devon Bostick. It is produced by Nina Jacobsen and Brad Simpson and directed by Thor Fruedenthal. Beginning April 2, 2010, moviegoers around the world will see the kid who made “wimpy” cool, in a family comedy that chronicles the adventures of wisecracking Greg Heffley, who must somehow survive the scariest time of anyone’s life: middle school.