The Amazing Maurice

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents is a children’s fantasy by Sir Terry Pratchett, published by Doubleday in 2001. It was the 28th novel in the Discworld series but the first written for children. The Amazing Maurice is a lively and entertaining adventure inspired by the German fairy tale about the Pied Piper of Hamelin and a parody of the folk tale genre. Pratchett won the annual Carnegie Medal for the book – children’s literature’s highest award. Despite many other awards, honorary degrees and the knighthood that followed, Sir Terry Pratchett always emphasized that this was the award of which he was most proud.

Maurice, a streetwise cat, has the perfect money-making scam. He’s found a dumb-looking kid who plays a pipe, and his very own horde of rats – rats who are strangely educated, and literate, so Maurice can no longer think of them as “lunch”. And everyone knows the stories about rats and pipers… However, when Maurice and the rodents reach the stricken town of Bad Blintz, their little con goes down the drain. For someone there is playing a different tune. A dark, shadowy tune. Something very, very bad is waiting in the cellars. It’s not a game anymore. It’s a rat-eat-rat world down there and the educated rats must learn a new word…EVIL.

The film stars Hugh Laurie (Avenue 5) as Maurice, Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) as Malicia, David Thewlis (Wonder Woman) as Boss Man, Himesh Patel (Yesterday) as Keith, Gemma Arterton (The King’s Man) as Peaches, Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) as The Mayor, David Tennant (Doctor Who) as Dangerous Beans, Ariyon Bakare (His Dark Materials) as Darktan, Rob Brydon (Roald & Beatrix: The Tale of the Curious Mouse) as The Pied Piper, Julie Atherton (Avenue Q) as Nourishing and YouTuber Joe Sugg as Sardines.  

The Amazing Maurice, a Sky Original will be released on Sky Cinema in the UK, and by Telepool in Germany in 2022 and in cinemas worldwide.

Director:
Toby Genkel

Co-Director:
Florian Westermann

Producers:
Emely Christians (Ulysses Filmproduktion)
Andrew Baker (Cantilever Media)
Robert Chandler (Cantilever Media)
Robert Wilkins (Narrativia)

Executive Producer:
Julia Stuart (Sky)
Roddy McManus
Louis Paltnoi
Mark Walker

Executive Producer:
Terry Pratchett

Screenplay:
Terry Rossio based on the book by Terry Pratchett

Composer:
Tom Howe

Casting Directors:
Debbie McWilliams
Jemma McWilliams

Production Designer:
Heiko Hentschel

Character Concept Art:
Carter Goodrich
Paul Kidby

Production Companies:
Ulysses Filmproduktion www.ulyssesfilms.de
Cantilever Media www.cantilever.media
Narrativia www.narrativia.com

Animation Studios:
Studio Rakete
Red Star 3D

International Sales:
Global Screen

Supported by:
Deutscher Filmförderfonds
MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein
FFA
The Creative MEDIA Programme of the European Union