It took author Jeff Kinney nearly 8 years to get his first book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, published in 2007. Since then, the author has continued to kick out sequels at a prolific rate with at least one Wimpy Kid book being released each year since. The first book was adapted into a live-action film in 2010 and now Kinney worked with Disney to bring the familiar animation style to Disney Plus in the all-new short film Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Arlyn Murphy sat down with Kinney to talk about the new movie and the future of book series. Murphy and Kinney talked about the inspiration behind the book series and the process in getting the first one to print. When asked if he had any end in mind for Greg’s story, Kinney’s reply indicated that we should plan on many more stories about the adventures of Greg Heffley and friends.
Yeah, I was joking on Twitter…somebody said “When will the series end?” and I said, “It will end when I end.” And I got like 100,000 likes to that and I was like, “Oh man, I shouldn’t have said that!” But that is how I feel. A good cartoonist, I think, sticks with their property. I think we all feel sad when a cartoon character goes away, you know, so I’m gonna do this for a while if I can.
Kinney’s love for the characters he has created comes through not only in the novels but in the new film. His message of perseverance in the face of challenges is a great one and his success shows the power of betting on yourself. The most recent entry in the Wimpy Kid series, Big Shot, is available now at Amazon and wherever books are sold.
You can read Murphy’s review of the new animated film here and check back at Murphy’s Multiverse for more coverage of the movie and interviews with Kinney and the film’s lead, Brady Noon.
