Lionsgate acquires “Magic Tree House” bestselling book seriesFebruary 5, 2016 - 15:07 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Lionsgate has acquired the global rights to the “Magic Tree House” book series, Lionsgate’s Co-Chairs Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger announced Thursday, February 4, TheWrap reports. The Lionsgate Motion Picture Group will develop multiple live-action films based on the adventures that play out in the 54-volume collection. Award-winning author of the book series, Mary Pope Osborne, is set to executive produce alongside her husband, Will Osborne. The “Magic Tree House” franchise has sold over 130 million books. It chronicles the adventures of a brother and sister, Jack and Annie, as they discover a mysterious tree house and find a collection of books that transport them through history. Will Osborne and Jenny Laird wrote the script for the first feature film, based on Book 29 titled “Christmas in Camelot.” Jack and Annie will discover the tree house after having outgrown it, but are consequently summoned to Camelot. “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,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-President Erik Feig said. “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.” Before Osborne stepped on to write the feature script, he created the musical adaptation, “Magic Tree House: The Musical,” with Randy Courts. It premiered in 2007. Gail Hochman of Brandt & Hochman is Osborne’s literary agent. Eric Brown and Rose Schwartz of Franklin, Weinrib, Rudell & Vassallo represent Osborne and the screenwriters, while Bonnie Stylides, senior vice president of business & legal affairs, negotiated the deal on behalf of Lionsgate. Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. |