Another beloved children’s book series will be getting the television adaption treatment. Deadline reported that Disney is turning the House of Secrets series into a show for their streaming service, Disney+. Famed director Chris Columbus is developing the project in association with his 26th Street Pictures partners. Columbus co-authored the series alongside the late Ned Vizzini, who died in 2013.
“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,” Ayo Davis, EVP Creative Development and Strategy at Disney Branded Television, said about the project. “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.”
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House of Secrets follows three siblings, Brendan, Eleanor, and Cordelia Walker, as they move into a new residence with their family. Although, they soon encounter issues as the Victorian house that they moved into was once owned by occult novelist Denver Kristoff. The trio of siblings eventually realizes that the author has “sinister” plans for them. But, at that point, it’s too late. The Walker siblings become trapped in the house and are placed on a journey during which they travel through the universes within Kristoff’s books.
House of Secrets was originally published in April 2013. If you’re familiar with Columbus’ work, it won’t be too much of a surprise to hear that the Harry Potter series actually influenced his own series of books. Columbus worked as a producer and director for a number of the Harry Potter films, including Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, published in January 2012 around when it was announced that he was writing his own fantasy series, he explained that he was inspired to write House of Secrets after seeing just how much Harry Potter resonated with young readers.
“You hope for just a section of that in terms of being able to inspire kids to read,” Columbus said at the time. “And that’s really one of the themes of the book – that reading is essential to your development as a child and as an eventual adult. That really has inspired us in moving forward.”
