Ryan Reynolds and Amy Sherman-Palladino are teaming up to bring a beloved book series to life for Netflix. Published in 1955 by writer Kay Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight, Eloise follows a young girl who lives at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The book spawned four sequels and has become a beloved staple in book stores, libraries, and is finally getting a big-budget feature film adaptation.
Deadline reports that Netflix has acquired the distribution rights to Eloise, a feature film adaptation of the book series of the same name. The live-action movie will be directed by Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, who co-wrote the script alongside Hannah Marks (After Everything) and Linda Woolverton (Maleficent) based on a new story inspired by the original novels. Reynolds will co-star as an original villain created for the film and will also serve as executive producer through his company Maximum Effort. Meanwhile, newcomer Mae Schenk has won the coveted lead role of Eloise. Netflix’s Head of Feature Animation and Family Film, Hannah Minghella, said in a statement:
“Eloise has been beloved for generations, from when she was first published in the 1950s through to today, when no family trip to New York City is complete without a stop at The Plaza. It’s an honor to reintroduce this cherished character to the world with two people who share her signature mischief and charm—Amy Sherman-Palladino and Ryan Reynolds—in this bold, hilarious, and heartfelt new family film.”
A Talented Creative Team Is Bringing ‘Eloise’ to Life
Eloise was originally set up at Paramount, but following the Skydance merger, they let some projects search for new distribution to avoid getting caught in development hell. Netflix moved quickly, wanting to work again with Ryan Reynolds after his previous film, Red Notice, was a hit for the streaming platform. Eloise will mark Amy Sherman-Palladino’s feature-film directorial debut, following her previous work directing multiple episodes of Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Eloise had previously been adapted into two made-for-television movies that aired on ABC in 2003, Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime. Father of the Bride director Charles Shyer had been developing an Eloise movie with Jordan Beatty set for the title role and Uma Thurman attached, but the project remained in development hell. Thurman actually ended up filing and subsequently settling a lawsuit against HandMade Films after the production stalled and the company failed to meet her initial pay-or-play fee. Around the time of the settlement, MCR Films announced a new Eloise film, which led to the current adaptation being written by Reynolds and Sherman-Palladino.
Eloise is another potential jewel in Netflix’s family film slate. The streamer is currently riding high off the success of KPop Demon Hunters and their upcoming animated film, In Your Dreams, which is set for release on November 14, 2025. Netflix is also heavily invested in Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, even giving it an IMAX theatrical release. Eloise seems like the perfect start to a potential long-running film series that families can enjoy together during the holidays.
