Walt Disney Studios has nabbed the adaptation rights to Katherine Rundells Impossible Creatures fantasy book series for big screen treatments.

Rundell will turn the first two books set in the fictional world of the Glimouria Archipelago filled with magical beasts into movie screenplays under the Disney Live Action banner. She will produce the adaptations alongside creative partner Charles Collier and her Impossible Filmsbanner as part of a first-look development deal with Disney that includes all of the British writers current and upcoming literary properties. When I read Impossible Creatures, I knew it belonged here at Disney. I was immediately drawn intothevibrant world Katherine imagined and the possibilities of what we could do together with this story, Bob Iger, CEOofThe Walt Disney Company, said in a statement on Tuesday as the major studio looks to potential success with the Rundells book series that Warner Bros. had on the big screen with J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter book properties.

The recent Impossible Creatures installment, The Poisoned King, reached the top position on childrens book charts in both the U.K. and U.S. To date, Rundells books have sold over four million copies worldwide, and the author is in talks to expand the Impossible Creatures franchise beyond an initial five books.

Disney secured theatrical film and ancillary rights to the Impossible Creaturebook series set in the world of Gilmouria. Im absolutely thrilledtobe linking arms with Disney. Its a privilegetobe writing these screenplays and developing these first movies in the franchisetogether with Charles, my team atImpossibleFilms, and withthe exceptional team at Disney, Rundell added in her own statement.

Im especially gratefultoBob Iger, whose enthusiasm after reading thebook helped setthis collaboration in motion, and to Alan Bergman and David Greenbaum for being incredible partners throughout this process.Our ambition isto build Glimouria and ImpossibleCreatures intoa spectacular series of films, so that we can entertain and inspire family audiences acrossthe world, she added.

Rundell is represented by Chalcot Square and RCW.