Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone director, Chris Columbus, is developing a live-action series based on his House of Secrets book series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. House of Secrets follows siblings Brendan, Eleanor, and Cordelia Walker whose family moves to an unsettling Victorian house that was once owned by novelist Denver Kristoff. Now trapped in a magical yet sinister house, the siblings travel through the intertwined fictional universes used in Kristoff’s novels.
Columbus will team up with Michael Barnathan (The Help) and Mark Radcliffe (Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban) to develop the Disney+ series. “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,” Executive Vice President of Creative Development and Strategy at Disney, Ayo Davis, said. “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,” via The Hollywood Reporter.
Alongside launching the Harry Potter film franchise with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Columbus has also directed Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and executive produced titles like The Witch, The Lighthouse, and Scoob!. After observing the cultural impact J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series had on a whole generation of kids, he launched the House of Secrets books in 2013.