Wonder Pig’s new trough is in Hollywood
Esther the Wonder Pig is going from rolling around in mud to rolling out the red carpet. The owners of the Campbellville, Ont.-based social media sensation say they’ve signed a deal with a major Hollywood production company and a studio to adapt their Esther books for a feature film. Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter announced on Esther’s social media accounts that they’re working with The Donners’ Company, which produced films including the XMen series, Deadpool and Free Willy.
Jenkins and Walter, who call Esther their “pig-daughter,” say the film’s writers will likely be at their farm to work with them on creating the story in the next couple of months. The couple say they had “non-negotiable” criteria for on a film project, including wanting the ability to be on set so they can supervise.
They also wanted “the ability to ensure that if any animal is required for filming, they are to be rescued/adopted, and they will be guaranteed a forever happy home following production,” said Wednesday’s post.
With more than 1.4 million Facebook followers, Esther has attracted fans including actors Ricky Gervais and Alan Cumming, who wrote the foreword for the 2018 memoir Happily Ever Esther. The book was the followup to Esther the Wonder Pig.
Jenkins and Walter write in the books about how Esther was only five pounds when they adopted her.
They thought she would be a so-called micro piglet, but their surprise, she grew to be fullsized.