Alex Panagopoulos – Courtesy of Netflix(LOS ANGELES) — They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in the case of a famous one — an illustration of a brave little teddy bear wielding a wooden sword to protect a sleeping child — it’s worth turning into a movie.

Greek fantasy artist Alex Panagopoulos’ illustration, which shows the little bear defending his young owner from a toothy monster as the little girl sleeps, has become grist for a Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson-produced family adventure for Netflix called Teddy and the Guardians of the Night.

Seven Bucks Productions President of Production Hiram Garcia first noticed the picture years ago, and it sparked the idea for the project. 

“In Teddy and the Guardians of the Night, stuffed teddy bears from around the world secretly come to life in order to protect children everywhere from all the things that go bump in the night,” according to Netflix.

“From the moment I saw Alex’s incredible drawing, I knew there was something special there that our global audiences could respond to,” Garcia said in a statement. “We’re excited to add to our growing slate with Netflix and share this story with the world.”

Johnson’s company, co-founded with partner Dany Garcia, has co-produced projects for the big and small screens, like their latest Young Rock on NBC, the Jumanji movies, and Disney’s upcoming Jungle Cruise — as well as high-profile content for Netflix including Red Notice, which will also star the former wrestling star and Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot.

Evan Almighty writing team Bobby Florsheim and Josh Stolberg are re-writing the script, based on a screenplay by Luke Passmore.

By Stephen Iervolino
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