Origins of WINNIE THE POOH to Be Subject of Upcoming Film

According to Empire Online, Brett Ratner's RatPac Entertainment have recently bought the rights to Lindsay Mattick and Sophie Blackall's upcoming book entitled 'Finding Winnie', and his producing colleagues are currently looking for filmmakers to develop the project. The book focuses on the origins of the real-life Winnie the Pooh, and is expected to be available later next year.

'Finding Winnie' tells the story of Mattick's real life grandfather, Harry Colebourn, who bought an orphaned bear cub whom he named Winnie because she was born in Winnipeg. When serving in England during World War I, Winnie became a mascot of sorts for his regiment. After being sent to France, Colebourn donated the young cub to the London Zoo to ensure that Winnie would be properly cared for.

During Winnie's time at the zoo, she was frequently visited by A.A. Milne, whose son enjoyed visiting the animals at the zoo on a regular basis. Thus, Milne developed the idea for the now beloved character, Winnie the Pooh.

RatPac Entertainment are in the early stages of the development process, but nevertheless, this project is shaping up to be one that will appeal to the extensive Winnie the Pooh fanbase.

Photo courtesy of the Library and Archives of Canada