Sony’s Tri-Star Pictures has pre-emptively acquired the movie rights to Trevor Henderson’s latest viral internet sensation “Cartoon Cat,” according to an insider with knowledge of the project.
It’s the second major deal for Henderson this month as his “Siren Head” landed at Warner Bros. after a five-studio bidding war, with Zach Cregger and Brian Duffield co-writing and Duffield directing.
Producing the project are Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Scott Glassgold and J. Todd Harris, along with Thomas Pettinelli and Marc Marcum.
According to Deadline, who first reported the news, “The menacing cat is described as an ancient hollow rot that uses the collective human awareness and memories of old cartoons as a passageway to manifest into our reality – and wreak violent havoc.”
Henderson notably has a long-standing relationship with Sony Pictures, the owner of TriStar Pictures, as the artist previously did concept art for Screen Gems’ “Tarot,” which came out in May 2024.
Representatives for TriStar did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment. However, an insider with knowledge did tell TheWrap that TriStar acquired the rights to the viral horror character following a “competitive situation.”
Cartoon Cat, which was first created by the celebrated horror artist, in 2018, has easily become one of the most recognizable original characters in online horror, as it has earned a large international following through fan art, videos, games, cosplay and social media. It’s been described as “the most notorious and evil of all of Henderson’s creations.”
Henderson is repped by Josh Dove at Redshift Management and Verve.
