Class is in session at Netflix, which has kicked off early development on a live-action feature film based on Harry Allard’s 1977 book Miss Nelson is Missing. 

The kidlit classic tells the tale of how a disorderly class finally learns to behave and respect their unappreciated teacher Miss Nelson after dealing with a super-strict substitute Viola Swamp (who was really just Miss Nelson in disguise).

Melissa McCarthy (The Little Mermaid) will star in the dual-teacher role and produce the film through her On the Day banner, which she co-owns with Ben Falcone. Brad Copeland (Ferdinand, Yogi Bear) is attached to write the screenplay.

This appears to be the first screen adaptation of the IP since a collection of 2D-animated shorts were produced by Weston Woods Studios in the 1990s.

While McCarthy has been a frequent collaborator with Netflix, the strength of the source material also made this an attractive bid for the streamer. The original book has earned several awards, including a California Young Readers Medal, and it has also spawned two follow-up titles—Miss Nelson Is Back (1982) and Miss Nelson Has a Field Day (1985).

Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter will produce for Hello Sunshine (Elle), along with Lawrence Grey from Grey Matter (Family Switch) and Caroline Fraser on behalf of HarperCollins, which publishes the books.