'Little House on the Prairie' movie in early development with Sony

Any young and old(er) fans of little Laura Ingalls – braids and pinafore swinging, as curious as a caffeinated chipmunk – will be excited to know that Sony Pictures is in early development on a movie based on the Little House on the Prairie books and television franchise.

Shame screenwriter Abi Morgan is in talks to write the film, with Pineapple Express filmmaker David Gordon Green in talks to direct, and Scott Rudin and Trip Friendly to produce, a Sony spokesperson confirmed Monday to EW.

The TV series Little House on the Prairie, adapted from writer Laura Ingalls Wilder’s series of novels from the 1930s through early ’40s based on her family’s move through the prairies of the Midwest starting in the late 19th century, aired from 1974 to 1983, and gained a massive following. Melissa Gilbert played the show’s Laura Ingalls, Michael Landon played her father, Charles “Pa” Ingalls, Karen Grassle played her mother, Caroline “Ma” Ingalls, and Melissa Sue Anderson and twins Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush played her sisters.

Morgan, a British screenwriter and playwright, has some industry cred behind her, snagging British Academy of Film and Television Art Awards nominations last year for best original screenplay with the Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady and outstanding British film for Shame, starring Michael Fassbender. Green is best known for directing comedies, ranging from TV’s Eastbound & Down to last year’s silly royal spoof Your Highness, with Natalie Portman, and 2008’s Pineapple Express, starring James Franco as a total stoner.

Rudin, of course, has produced many Hollywood blockbusters, from The Social Network to Oscar winner No Country For Old Men. With Rudin potentially on board, this Little House on the Prairie film has enough traction to pull a towns-worth of horse-drawn carriages.

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‘Little House on the Prairie’ (TV Show – 1974), Michael Landon