Director Chris Columbus is getting back to the kids fantasy genre with a true to life series dependent on his House of Secrets books.
The Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone director co-authored the House of Secrets center school fantasy book series with the late Ned Vizzini.
Presently Columbus is teaming with his 26th Street Pictures partners, Michael Barnathan and Mark Radcliffe, to foster the triplet of books for Disney.
In House of Secrets, “siblings Brendan, Eleanor and Cordelia Walker aren’t pleased when their family relocates to a creepy Victorian house once owned by an occult novelist, Denver Kristoff. By the time the Walkers realize that their new neighbor has sinister plans for them, they’re trapped in the magical house, traveling through the fantastical intertwined universes of Kristoff’s novels.”
“Chris, Michael and Mark tell stories that resonate with multiple audiences, across generations and genres that deliver a sense of magic and wonderment through definitional characters,” said Ayo Davis, executive vp, Creative Development and Strategy, Disney Branded Television. “There is so much affinity for their acclaimed films, and we are delighted to be working with them to develop House of Secrets into a thrilling Disney+ series.”
Since launching the Harry Potter franchise with its first two movies, Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets, Columbus has directed Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and chief delivered titles like The Witch, The Lighthouse and Scoob!
Columbus launched the House of Secrets books in 2013 and has said he was inspired by seeing the effect of the Harry Potter books on kids, adding that he sees the books as a “cousin” to his fan-favorite 1985 film The Goonies.