Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is adapting the popular book series A Series of Unfortunate Events into an original streaming video project, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The online streaming service has bought the rights to develop a new series based on the 13 bestselling novels published from 1999 to 2006 written by Lemony Snicket, the pen name of author Daniel Handler.
Netflix making its portfolio stronger
Netflix will undertake this project in partnership with Paramount Television, the TV-arm of Paramount, the studio that made the 2004 feature with actors Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep and Jude Law. Handler will be the executive producer of the project.
The story is about the quests of orphaned children Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, and the hardships they face while uncovering the secret of their parents’ death. To date, around 65 million copies of the bookshave been sold, and the children’s classic been translated into 43 languages. The popular series has also spawned board games, card games, video-games and albums.
Netflix is trying to enhance its portfolio by ordering Madagascar spinoff All Hail King Julien and Richie Rich from AwesomenessTV. Other series that will be launched in the coming months include Marco Polo, Bloodline and many more.
Trend of adapting books into a series
Cindy Holland, vice president original content for Netflix, said that content that appeals to both parents as well as kids is the impetus behind A Series of Unfortunate Events. Holland said that the company is proud to start to work on a series for a global audience who have read and appreciated the book. According to Hollanjd, the world created by Lemony Snicket is unique, darkly funny, and relatable, and the company will start on the project without further delay.
Snicket said that it is unbelievable that after years of offering premium quality entertainment on demand, the online video streaming company is taking risk of associating itself with Snicket’s “dismaying and upsetting books.”
Unfortunate Events is the latest book to be turned into a streaming series, a move that has become popular among content producers in search of titles with established fan bases in an ever-evolving TV landscape. Some other titles that will be turned into shows include Archie, In the Heat of the Night, Twin Peaks and Big.
