Disney has been trying to find a live-action property to rival “Harry Potter” since they already destroyed “Star Wars” and badly wounded “Marvel.” Not to mention the tired and constant live-action remakes of animated IP. They think they have found the solution with “Impossible Creatures” by Katherine Rundell, inking a seven-figure deal for the rights.
The film rights for the books were won by the Walt Disney Company at an auction. Netflix and Warner Bros. were also reportedly in the running.
What is “Impossible Creatures?”
This is a relatively new book series from author Katherine Rundell.
So far, only two books have been released since 2023: “Impossible Creatures” and “The Poisoned King”.
The synopsis indicates that the series “follows Christopher Forrester, a boy who discovers a portal to the Archipelago, a hidden world where mythological creatures live. He befriends Mal, a flying girl from the Archipelago, and together they embark on a quest to stop a rising evil that is draining the world’s magic and causing the creatures to die off.”
It sounds like a sad story.
Why was there a bidding war for the series?
The books are performing well, putting Rundell in the same position J.K. Rowling had years ago with Number 1 books on the U.K. and U.S. children’s book sale charts. The books have sold over four million copies globally. Now the original trilogy of books is going to become a five-book series along with prequels and spinoffs. They just need to becareful they don’t stretch it so far that people lose interest.
Disney will have a stake in the films for the entire five-book series.
Disney will also have a “first look deal” with Rundell’s company, Impossible Films (Rundell and partner Charles Collier) for all current productions and upcoming greenlit productions.
Disney CEO Bob Iger offered this statement,
“When I read Impossible Creatures, I knew it belonged here at Disney. I was immediately drawn into the vibrant world Katherine imagined and the possibilities of what we could do together with this story. Written by Katherine herself, these movies are in the best of hands with our Walt Disney Studios team, and I can’t wait to see this tale brought to the screen.”
Rundell also gave a statement saying,
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be linking arms with Disney. It’s a privilege to be writing these screenplays and developing these first movies in the franchise together with Charles, my team at Impossible Films, and with the exceptional team at Disney. I’m especially grateful to Bob Iger, whose enthusiasm after reading the book helped set this collaboration in motion, and to Alan Bergman and David Greenbaum for being incredible partners throughout this process. Our ambition is to build Glimouria and Impossible Creatures into a spectacular series of films, so that we can entertain and inspire family audiences across the world.”
Will Disney have the next “Harry Potter?” Only time will tell.
What do you think? Comment and let us know.
Source: Deadline
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