The Little Prince, directed by Mark Osborne, was slated the movie to open in U.S. theaters on March 18. Although Paramount’s international arm handled the release of the film in France last summer, the studio dropped the film earlier this week. Now, Netflix has picked up Paramount Pictures’ domestic rights to film. It is now expected to premiere stateside on the streaming service later this year.
The film, based on the 1943 book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, premiered out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival last May. So far, it has grossed $100 million internationally and was awarded France’s Cesar Award for best animated film.
The Little Prince, which combines 3D computer animation and stop-motion, features a voice cast that includes Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, Marion Cotillard, James Franco and Benicio del Toro. Paramount has yet to comment about why the film was dropped.