Disney buys film rights to Katherine Rundell's Impossible Creatures

Walt Disney Studios announced Tuesday that it has acquired the film and ancillary rights to Katherine Rundell's fantasy series Impossible Creatures and has hired the author to adapt the first two books for the big screen. The deal, which the studio said was secured in a seven figure agreement following a competitive auction, also establishes a first look development relationship between Disney and Rundell's production company, Impossible Films.

Under the arrangement, Rundell will write the screenplays for the first two film adaptations and serve as a producer alongside creative partner Charles Collier. Impossible Films will remain based in London and will be led by Rundell with a team that includes producer Alexandra Derbyshire and former Pixar executive Simon Bax. Disney said the agreement covers theatrical and ancillary film rights across the currently planned five books and any forthcoming literary properties from Rundell.

Impossible Creatures, which debuted in 2023, is set in the fictional Glimouria Archipelago and follows a young boy, Christopher, and a girl named Mal as they travel across magical islands to protect fantastical beasts. Two novels have been published so far;...