After rolling the dice in an auction to acquire the rights to develop author Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures novels into films, Disney is hoping to have found its own fantasy phenom.
Like Harry Potter, The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games, Impossible Creatures has quickly grabbed the attention of studio heads as the first two novels in what is now planned as a five part series rocketed to #1 on children’s book charta across the globe. Rundell, an Oxford professor, won Author of The Year and the first novel, Impossible Creatures, won Children’s Book of The Year at 2024 British Book Awards. The sequel, The Poisoned King, races to #1 on charts as well, kicking off a studio scramble that includes Disney, Warner Bros. and Netflix, with the House of Mouse coming out on top.
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.
-Disney CEO Bob Iger
An epic fantasy adventure that plunges two unlikely young heroes into a secret world where all the creatures of myth are real—and in grave danger, Impossible Creatures is the kind of IP Disney has been craving as it has slowed the pace of production by its major studio brands.
The first irdt novel centers on a young boy from the human world, Christopher, and a fierce girl on the run from the magical world, Mal. Christopher’s life changes forever when he meets Mal, who appears with a baby griffin he saves from drowning. He is introduced to the Archipelago, a hidden cluster of unmapped islands in the Atlantic where creatures like dragons, unicorns, sphinxes, and kraken have thrived for millennia.
However, the Archipelago is dying. The magic, known as the “Glimourie,” is fading, and the mythical creatures are perishing. Mal and Christopher embark on an urgent quest, traveling across the wild islands to discover the source of the magical crisis. They must consult sphinxes for secrets, battle fearsome monsters, and negotiate with dragons, all while being pursued by a dangerous murderer.
As part of the deal, Rundell will develop screenplays for the first two films with Charles Collier via their Impossible Films production studio which worked in Paddington 2 and Wonka. And, of course, such a fantasy world may well lend itself nicely to Disney’s theme parks, where there is an entirely different amount of money to be made.
Source: Deadline
