James R | On 22, Feb 2021

Netflix is bringing Brian Jacques’ Redwall books to the sreen.

The streaming giant has inked a deal with Penguin Random House Children to secure the rights to the fantasy novels, which have sold 30 million copies worldwide. The books take place in Redwall Abbey, the tranquil home to a community of peace-loving mice. It is threatened by the evil, one-eyed rat warlord Cluny the Scourge and his battle-hardened horde of predators. Cluny is certain that Redwall will fall easily to his fearsome army but he hasn’t bargained for the courage and strength of the Redwall mice and their loyal woodland friends.

Patrick McHale (Cartoon Network’s Over the Garden Wall) will pen a feature film based on the first book in the 21-book series. This is the first time that a feature film will be based on any book by Jacques, who passed away in 2011. An event series is also separately in the works based around the character of Martin the Warrior.

“We couldn’t be more delighted to announce this deal,” Ben Horslen, Fiction Publisher, Penguin Random House Children’s, said in a statement. “These perennially popular stories have been etched onto the hearts of millions of readers, and we are thrilled to partner with Netflix to bring those beloved characters on screen for families worldwide to enjoy.”

The project joins a growing number of original animations in the work from Netflix, as it steps up its rivalry with Disney+, including the Oscar-nominated Klaus, Glen Keane’s Over the Moon and Nora Twomey’s My Father’s Dragon, as well as Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.

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