Disney acquires rights to 'Impossible Creatures' book series for film franchise

(Reuters) -Disney said on Tuesday it has secured theatrical film and ancillary rights to British writer Katherine Rundell's fantasy book series, "Impossible Creatures," with plans to adapt the first two books for the big screen. The series is set in the fictional world of the Glimouria Archipelago, a "richly imagined universe brimming with unique characters", Disney said, which it expects to "captivate audiences for years to come." "Impossible Creatures," which initially debuted as a planned trilogy, was expanded to a five-book series earlier this year through two major seven-figure publishing deals with Bloomsbury and Knopf. The second and the latest installment, "The Poisoned King," became a global bestseller and made Rundell the first U.K. children's author since J.K. Rowling to simultaneously reach No. 1 on the children's book charts in both the U.K. and the U.S., Disney said. As part of the deal, Rundell will adapt the first two books into feature film screenplays under the Disney Live Action banner, and will produce the films with creative partner Charles Collier. The acquisition represents a strategic pivot toward fresh, original fantasy intellectual property following Disney's mixed results from live-action remakes of classic animated films. While "Lilo & Stitch" proved successful this year, "Snow White" disappointed at the box office. "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," Rundell said in a statement. Disney also secured the rights to be the first to review and potentially make movies or shows based on Rundell's current and upcoming literary properties, from her production company, Impossible Films. "When I read 'Impossible Creatures', I knew it belonged here at Disney," Disney CEO Bob Iger said. (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)

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