Mary Pope Osborne's
Critically-Lauded Franchise Has Sold Over 130 Million Books and
Been Translated into 35 Languages around the World
Studio Plans Multiple Live-Action Films
SANTA MONICA, Calif. and
VANCOUVER, Feb. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing to expand
its portfolio of brands and franchises, Lionsgate (NYSE:LGF), a
premier next generation global content leader, has acquired the
rights to the Magic Tree House book series, it was
announced today by Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairs Rob
Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger.
The Company is developing multiple live-action films to be released
by Lionsgate's Summit Entertainment label that are based on the
adventures chronicled in the 54-volume Magic Tree House
collection, one of the most beloved and recognizable children's
brands in the world. Award-winning author Mary Pope Osborne will executive produce along
with her husband, Will Osborne.
The Magic Tree House franchise has sold over 130 million
books, been translated into more than 35 languages and even
spawned a successful musical on its way to worldwide acclaim. The
series, which chronicles the adventures of brother and sister Jack
and Annie after they discover a mysterious tree house and find a
collection of books that transports them through history, has
earned acclaim from diverse groups including the American
Booksellers Association and the National Council of Teachers of
English. Published by Random House Children's Books, the most
recent installment of the 54-volume series was released last month.
The series has taught millions of children the joys of reading and
is perennially at the top of national bestseller lists.
Will Osborne and Jenny Laird have written the script for the
first installment, based primarily on Book 29, Christmas in
Camelot. In the movie, Jack and Annie rediscover the tree house
after having outgrown it and are summoned to Camelot to be its
saviors.
"We're always looking for magical worlds to expand into
potential motion picture franchises, and this is an iconic property
that is beloved and recognizable around the world," said Lionsgate
Motion Picture Group Co-President Erik
Feig. "The Magic Tree House books have been
cherished by generations of readers, including my own children.
We're thrilled to bring the genius of Mary
Pope Osborne's iconic stories to the screen for their tens
of millions of fans and to introduce a whole new audience to their
magic."
"Lionsgate has an impressive reputation for working closely with
content creators, respecting and protecting their vision, and
making them part of the creative process," said Osborne. "I'm
thrilled to have partnered with them on bringing the Magic Tree
House books to life in a series of films that kids, parents and
grandparents will all get to enjoy together."
Prior to coming aboard as a writer on the feature script,
Will Osborne was joined by
Randy Courts in creating a musical
adaptation, Magic Tree House: The Musical, and worked
with legendary New Orleans
composer Allen Toussaint for
Magic Tree House: A Night in New Orleans. Mr. Osborne
also developed a planetarium show entitled Magic Tree
House: Space Mission for the Morehead Planetarium in
Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In
addition to companion programs for educators, the
Osbornes and Natalie Pope Boyce have
also created a non-fiction series to supplement the facts
inspiring the Magic Tree House stories, entitled
Magic Tree House Fact Trackers.
"Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree
House series has impacted the way children learn to read in an
extraordinary way, and she has sparked a lifelong love of reading
in millions of children over the course of nearly 25 years," says
Barbara Marcus, President &
Publisher, Random House Children's Books. "We are so pleased to see
that Mary's magical storytelling will continue on in a new form,
opening up worlds of adventure to new generations of readers."
Gail Hochman of Brandt &
Hochman has been Mary Pope Osborne's
literary agent for over 25 years. Eric
Brown and Rose Schwartz of
Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell & Vassallo, represented Osborne and
the screenwriters. Bonnie Stylides,
Senior Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs, negotiated
the deal on behalf of Lionsgate.
ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader
with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production
and distribution, television programming and syndication, home
entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms, video
games and international distribution and sales. The Company has
nearly 80 television shows on 40 different networks spanning its
primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses.
These include the critically-acclaimed hit series Orange is the
New Black, the multiple Emmy Award-winning drama Mad
Men, the hit broadcast network series Nashville, the syndication successes
The Wendy Williams Show and Celebrity Name Game (with
FremantleMedia), the breakout series The Royals and the
Golden Globe-nominated dramedy Casual.
Its feature film business has been fueled by such successes as
the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, the first two
installments of the Divergent franchise, Sicario,
The Age of Adaline, CBS/Lionsgate's The DUFF,
John Wick, Now You See
Me, Roadside Attractions' Love & Mercy and Mr.
Holmes, Lionsgate/Codeblack
Films' Addicted and Pantelion Films' Instructions Not
Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever
released in the U.S.
Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in
box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates.
Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of
approximately 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is
an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the
foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The
Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original,
daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.
www.lionsgate.com
Press Contact:
Joanna Dodd
Massey
310-255-3602
JMassey@Lionsgate.com
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SOURCE Lionsgate