Smile! Grumpy Cat gets a movie deal

Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES

Grumpy Cat, the Internet feline celebrity known for her disdainful expression, has a movie deal.

Broken Road Productions, the company behind the Kevin James vehicle “Paul Blart Mall Cop” and the Adam Sandler movie “Jack and Jill,” has optioned the rights to make a film based on Grumpy Cat’s persona.

Grumpy Cat will speak in the film, a la the 2004 live action Garfield movie.

A mixed breed owned by Arizona resident Tabatha Bundesen, Grumpy Cat’s real name is Tardar Sauce (yes, that’s how it’s spelled).

The dour-faced kitty first found acclaim after a family member posted a picture of her on Reddit last fall, prompting users to photoshop captions such as, “I am disappointed by your lack of sales” and “I hope all of your 2013 dreams end up shattering like glass on the rocks of reality.”

Grumpy Cat’s subsequent rise has been nothing short of meteoric.

In March she appeared on “Good Morning America,” on the Friskies game show, “Will Kitty Play With It?” and at the South by Southwest Interactive convention in Austin, Texas, where fans lined up to take a photo with the famous feline.

She also has a forthcoming book, “Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book: Disgruntled Tips and Activities Designed to Put a Frown on Your Face,” from Chronicle Books, a 2014 calendar and T-shirts for sale.

Grumpy Cat is not the only feline enjoying big-screen treatment of late — “Lil Bub and Friendz,” a documentary about a runt kitten born to a feral mother, premiered at the Tribeca Film festival in April, and “Santa Claws,” a movie about kittens who deliver the Christmas presents when Santa has an allergy attack, was for sale at the Cannes Film Festival market this month.