Netflix and Penguin Random House Children’s UK have inked a rights deal for Brian Jacques’ Redwall books, with the streaming service revealing plans to develop an animated feature based on the first book in the series with writer Patrick McHale (Over the Garden Wall, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio).
The streamer is additionally planning an event series based on the character of Martin the Warrior.
This will be the first feature based on Jacques’ book series, which chronicles the adventures of heroic animals that inhabit the forest haven of Redwall Abbey. The titles have sold roughly 30 million copies and been translated into more than 20 languages.
“These perennially popular stories have been etched onto the hearts of millions of readers, and we are thrilled to partner with Netflix to bring those beloved characters on screen for families worldwide to enjoy,” said Ben Horslen, fiction publisher, Penguin Random House Children’s, in a released statement.
The Redwall movie joins Netflix’s slate of upcoming animated features including Clare Knight and Harry Cripps-directed Back to the Outback, Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Adventure, Chris Williams’ The Sea Beast, Henry Selick’s Wendell & Wild, Nora Twomey’s My Father’s Dragon, Wendy Rogers’ The Magician’s Elephant, Minkyu Lee’s The Witch Boy, del Toro’s Pinocchio and an Aardman sequel to Chicken Run.
