At this point we can’t even wrap our minds around the concept of not being excited about Spike Jonze‘s adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. If you didn’t read this book as a kid, you must have been born on the face of the Sun. And if you can’t get behind a little bit of Spike Jonze work on the big screen, then I don’t know how to help you. But for the rest of us, those who can’t help but be excited, USA Today has published some new information and new photos from the upcoming Warner Bros. release.

What makes this project so exciting? “Spike has such an incredible imagination, and this is very much a work of imagination,” explains Catherine Keener, who plays the mother of Max (the main character), “And there is so much room to apply your own.” The story follows a young boy named Max (Max Records) who escapes from his own reality into a world that is inhabitied by wild and sometimes scary creatures. And for those who’ve read the 338-word book and are wondering about how it will be translated into a 90-minute or longer film, USA Today’s report states that the script additions, made by screenwriter David Eggers, expand on Max’s home life and the reasons why he felt the need to run off to a magical place.

Also notable is some new information about the film’s first trailer, which will be running with Monsters v. Aliens in theaters on Friday. According to the report, it will include one little bit of dialogue from James Gandolfini’s Carol. Essentially it is him welcoming Max to the new world: “I didn’t want to wake you up. But I really want to show you something.” Sounds cool.

The Tom Hanks produced film will feature the voices of James Gandolfini as the main wild thing Carol, Chatherine O’Hara as a Wild Thing named Judith with a rhino horn, Forest Whitaker as a Wild Thing whose name is actually Wild Thing, Lauren Ambrose as a Wild Thing named KW, Chris Cooper as Douglas the chicken and Paul Dano as Alexander the goat. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on October 16, 2009. Check out the new photos (and a few old ones) revealed by USA Today below. Click to enlarge.