Disney is making a bold move in fantasy adaptation. It has acquired the rights to the best-selling Impossible Creatures series from author Katherine Rundell in a deal reportedly worth seven figures, entering into what many see as the groundwork for a new Disney fantasy franchise.
As Deadline reports, Rundell will adapt the first two published books, Impossible Creatures, published in 2023, and The Poisoned King, published in 2025, into screenplays. While three more books are on the way in the series, her books have sold more than four million copies worldwide and made the British author one of the best-selling children’s authors.
The author originally planned it to be a trilogy, but now has expanded it into a five-novel saga, with plans to branch it into spinoffs and prequel books. In a statement following the deal, Disney CEO Bob Iger stated:
When I read Impossible Creatures, I knew it belonged here at Disney. I was immediately drawn in to 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.
As for Rundell, the author is “absolutely thrilled” to join Disney in writing screenplays and developing her work into a franchise. Hoping to create a “spectacular series of films,” she expressed enthusiasm for entertaining and inspiring “family audiences across the world.”
Disney Won the Deal Against Warner Bros. and Netflix
According to the aforementioned report, Disney won a competitive bidding war against several major studios, including Warner Bros. and Netflix, to acquire the film, television, and ancillary rights for Katherine Rundell’s Impossible Creatures series.
Reportedly, the author has been courted by several studios and producers ever since she revealed that she is ready to make a deal. The big three studios mentioned above were the finalists and were asked to head to London to explain their vision.
It was President of Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios David Greenbaum, Disney Live Action president Daria Cercek and Allison Erlikhman, SVP, Production, Disney Live Action, and Disney Head of Literary Affairs Clare Reeth who helped champion the deal. Moreover, Rundell will have a first look deal with Disney that includes all of her current and upcoming properties.
Ultimately, Disney’s ability to outbid Netflix and Warner Bros speaks to its continued confidence in tentpole fantasy properties and in the leverage of intellectual property from the literary world. With Rundell as part of the creative process, Disney gains both narrative authenticity and deeper access to source vision.
What Is Impossible Creatures About?
Impossible Creatures is a fantasy series set in the Glimouria Archipelago, a lush, magical world where humans coexist with extraordinary animal hybrids.
It features a human boy, Christopher, who ends up stumbling upon a hidden entrance to Glimouria Archipelago, while on a holiday with his grandfather in the Scottish Highlands. There, he runs into Mal, and together they try to save the creatures from the decline in the magical force that has been keeping them alive all this time.
The narrative explores themes of belonging, identity, and the tension between nature and empire.
In the books, the creatures themselves, hybrids of land and sea, wing and fin, serve not just as fantasy spectacle but as metaphors for hybridity, transformation, and the ethical lines between creation and domination.
Disney’s adaptation is likely to heavily focus on worldbuilding and expansion, aided by Rundell. Guilmouria and Impossible Creatures serve as fertile ground for Disney to compete with other fantasy universes.
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