Overview

• Walt Disney Studios will adapt the first two books for the big screen under its live-action banner, with Katherine Rundell writing the screenplays and producing alongside Charles Collier.
• The acquisition includes theatrical and ancillary rights, with Disney positioning the property for multi-film franchise potential and related opportunities such as merchandise and possible theme-park elements.
• Trade reports say Disney prevailed over Warner Bros. and Netflix in a multi-studio auction, with Disney executives including David Greenbaum credited for driving the deal.
• Rundell’s series has sold more than four million copies worldwide, and The Poisoned King made her the first U.K. children’s author since J.K. Rowling to top children’s charts simultaneously in the U.K. and U.S.
• The agreement gives Disney a first-look development relationship covering Rundell’s current and future literary works through her London-based banner, Impossible Films.