Chris Columbus Developing the Fantasy Adventure Series HOUSE OF SECRETS For Disney+
Disney+ is teaming up with Chris Columbus to develop a series adaptation of the action-adventure fantasy books series House of Secrets. Columbus, the director of Home Alone and Harry Potter, co-authored the middle-school book series with the late Ned Vizzini.
The story revolves around siblings Brendan, Eleanor, and Cordelia Walker, "who 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.”
Ayo Davis, EVP Creative Development and Strategy at Disney Branded Television, who is overseeing the project said in a statement:
“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. 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.”
This sounds like a fun supernatural adventure story that’s going to make for a great series! I enjoy imaginative stories like this that play with different kinds of story elements and genres. Columbus is good at telling these kinds of stories, and it’ll be cool to see what he does with this one as he brings it to life with his creative team.
Here’s the full description from the book:
Siblings Brendan, Eleanor, and Cordelia Walker once had everything they could ever want. But everything changed when Dr. Walker lost his job. Now the family must relocate to an old Victorian house, formerly the home of occult novelist Denver Kristoff—a house that simultaneously feels creepy and too good to be true. By the time the Walkers realize that one of their neighbors has sinister plans for them, they’re banished to a primeval forest way off the grid.
Bloodthirsty medieval warriors patrol the woods around them, supernatural pirates roam the neighboring seas, and a power-hungry queen rules the land. To survive, the siblings will have to be braver than they ever thought possible—and to fight against their darkest impulses. The key may lie in their own connection to the secret Kristoff legacy. But as they unravel that legacy, they’ll discover that it’s not just their family that’s in danger . . . it’s the entire world.