FOX Entertainment Studios and Moriah Media are adapting Don’t Feed the Lion, the novel by Bianna Golodryga and Yonit Levi, as a feature film with Gal Gadot and Jaron Varsano’s Pilot Wave Motion Pictures.
FOX Entertainment Studios and Moriah Media are partnering to option, develop, and produce the film, which will be executive produced by Gadot and Varsano. The Arcadia Children’s Books title follows a 13-year-old soccer co-captain, his younger sister, and their classmate in Chicago as their lives are upended when an antisemitic message posted online by a beloved soccer star goes viral.
“Don’t Feed the Lion brings a difficult subject into focus through characters young audiences can see themselves in and choices they recognize from their own lives,” said Fernando Szew, president and head of studio at FOX Entertainment Studios. “At FOX Entertainment Studios, we’re drawn to stories that entertain, spark conversation, and connect with audiences across generations. Bianna and Yonit have written a powerful, deeply human story, and Gal and Jaron bring tremendous creative vision and passion to the project. Building on our meaningful collaboration with Moriah Media on One Day in October, we’re proud to work with this exceptional team to bring it to the screen.”
“Stories can reach young people in ways that arguments and headlines often can’t,” said Jim Berk, CEO of Moriah Media. “Bianna and Yonit have put readers inside the everyday choices that determine whether hate spreads or someone stands up to it. Working with FOX Entertainment Studios, Gal and Jaron, we have an opportunity to bring that experience to a much wider audience through an entertaining, deeply human film. This is exactly the kind of storytelling Moriah Media exists to champion.”
“This is a story that feels especially personal to us, both as parents and as a family,” said Gadot and Varsano. “We want our children to grow up in a world where differences are respected, where hatred is challenged and where no one feels alone in standing up for what is right. Don’t Feed the Lion opens the door to conversations that matter, and we are grateful to be part of bringing it to life.”
