Brian Jacques’ beloved “Redwall” books are being adapted for a film and TV series thanks to a new copyright agreement between Netflix and Penguin Random House Children. Fantasy novels sold 30 million copies worldwide and attracted avid followers with their tales of heroism, villainy and bravery, all played by rats, moles, hares and badgers. Think of JRR Tolkien with the cutest protagonists.
Netflix announced that it has hired Patrick McHale, creator of Cartoon Network’s “Over the Garden Wall”, to write the feature film. This film will be based on Jacques’ first book in the series, “Redwall” (there are 21 others, extending to the final book “The Rogue Crew”). Netflix is also developing a series of events based on the character Martin the Warrior.
The agreement marks the first time that the rights to the film in the entire series of books have been held by the same company and the first time that a film of any of Jacques’ works will be made. Jacques died in 2011.
“We couldn’t be happier to announce this deal,” said Ben Horslen, fiction editor at Penguin Random House Children’s. “These perennially popular stories have been recorded in the hearts of millions of readers, and we are excited to partner with Netflix to bring these beloved characters to the screen for families around the world to enjoy.”
Netflix has invested heavily in the animation space, in part due to increased competition for the Disney Plus family streaming audience. The company’s animation features include Oscar-nominated “Klaus” and Glen Keane’s “Over the Moon”. Next features include “Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Adventure” by Richard Linklater, “The Sea Beast” by Chris Williams, “My Father’s Dragon” by Nora Twomey and “Pinocchio” by Guillermo del Toro.