Universal has set a Jan. 27, 2017, release date in the U.S. for Amblin Entertainment and Walden Media’s “A Dog’s Purpose,” starring Dennis Quaid, Peggy Lipton and Britt Robertson.
Based on the bestselling 2010 novel by W. Bruce Cameron, “A Dog’s Purpose” is directed by Lasse Hallström (“The 100-Foot Journey”) and centered on one devoted dog who finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he loves by teaching them to laugh and love.
The book is written in the voice of a dog who is reincarnated several times. The dog’s names given by his human owners include Toby, Bailey, Ellie, Bear and Buddy.
K.J. Apa, Juliet Rylance, Luke Kirby, John Ortiz and Pooch Hall also star.
Gavin Polone (“Gilmore Girls”) is the producer. The film is executive produced by Alan Blomquist and Mark Sourian.
Bradley Cooper has been in talks to voice the dog in the film but that deal has not closed.
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“A Dog’s Purpose” is the second title to land on the Jan. 27, 2017, date following Sony’s “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.”
The film was initially developed at DreamWorks. Universal has replaced Disney as the distributor of DreamWorks titles under a partnership announced last month by Universal and Amblin Partners, a new company announced by DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media, Reliance Entertainment and Entertainment One.
