'The Emoji Movie' is a real thing and it opens in cinemas in August 2017

It's the cinematic event of the decade, and now it has a release date: "The Emoji Movie" will open in cinemas on August 11, 2017.

The film is the work of Sony Pictures Animation, Variety reports, and details about the plot are still thin on the ground - beyond the fact it will feature the smiley faces and icons made ubiquitous by smartphones.

Some of Sony Pictures Animation's previous films are entirely CGI - like "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs." Other take a hybrid approach, including some live action footage - like "The Smurfs." There's no word yet about what route "The Emoji Movie" will go down.

This paucity of details hasn't dented the hype, however. Jeremy Burge, the creator of emoji resource website Emojipedia, told Business Insider: "I'm really interested to see which emojis get included in the movie. I could see some great feuds playing out between the Sassy Hair Flick Girl [?? Information Desk Person] and the best friends dancing [?? Woman With Bunny Ears].

"Will Sony include characters like the Molester Moon [?? New Moon With Face] or Android's surprised octopus [?? Octopus]?"

Burge adds: "I would love to see that sort of thing included. On a nerdy note, whether Sony uses a visual style similar to the Apple emojis, or goes its own route, will be something to watch."

According to Variety, it is being directed by Anthony Leondis. Leondis is also co-writing the script with Eric Siegal. Coming Soon reports that although Sony won the rights to "The Emoji Movie" this summer, there was an "intense bidding war" for the film, with Paramount and Warner Bros. both also expressing an interest.