Toronto’s Hawkeye Pictures has partnered with Ottawa’s Big Jump Entertainment to develop an animated series based on the Brian Francis novel Fruit.

Screenwriter and director Pat Mills (Guidance) is attached to write the series.

Fruit is set in 1984 and tells the story of 13-year-old Peter Paddington, a bullied, overweight teen trying to navigate his sexual identity, whose only friends are his talking nipples. It was the runner-up at CBC’s Canada Reads in 2009.

The book is published by ECW Press with Paige Sisley of CookeMcDermid Literary Management handling film and TV rights.

“We are ecstatic to be partnering with Sonya [Di Rienzo], Aeschylus [Poulos] and the Hawkeye Pictures team along with Pat Mills to bring this story of inclusion to fruition through the most exciting and creative medium that is animation,” said Rick Morrison, president of Big Jump, in a statement.

“This feels like the right time to introduce a whole new generation to the wonderful world of Peter Paddington,” added Di Rienzo and Poulos.

Mills is represented by Drew MacKenzie of Great North Artists Management and Francis represented by Dean Cooke of CookeMcDermid.