An English language film centring on the Hello Kitty toy is in the works for the first time in her 45-year history. New Line Cinema, Sanrio and FlynnPictureCo are teaming up to develop the project, reported variety.com. New Line said the partnership marks the only time Sanrio, the Japanese company behind the toy, has granted film rights to the silent Hello Kitty and friends, including the cracked egg character Gudetama, the rabbit character My Melody, and Little Twin Stars, to a major film studio, reports variety.com.

The announcement on Tuesday did not indicate whether the "Hello Kitty" feature film will be animated, live-action or a hybrid. New Line said it had spent nearly five years pursuing the movie rights.