Katherine Rundell blew us all away with the world she crafted in Impossible Creatures in 2023. If you haven't read the epic adventure - do, please do! As Julia Eccleshare commented: "Brimful of ideas, award-winning Katherine Rundell’s epic adventure is set in a world that joyfully and provocatively stretches the imagination as Christopher and Mal, two children with exceptional futures, explore the secret and mysterious world of the Archipelago where mythological creatures, sometimes benign but frequently savage, still live.

Mal’s destiny propels the course of their thrilling and desperate sea voyage on which so much of the future of the world depends while Christopher’s special qualities are also a mark of the vital role he is to play in it too. Both have skills of strength and insight on an heroic scale especially with regard to caring for and understanding the special qualities of all living creatures – including trees. And both are readily recognisable from other fantasy epics such as Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials and Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea sequence.

With her fabulous new bestiary of wondrous creatures with curious conflations of physical and psychological characteristics Katherine Rundell has created a new mythology which is simultaneously crammed with her own innovative ideas and packed with references to other mythologies and imaginary worlds."

A chat with Katherine Rundell and Michael Morpurgo

Our MD Deborah Maclaren had the honour of chatting to Katherine about the wonderful book alongside Michael Morpurgo for the RSA. What a joy that was. Morpurgo commented after reading Impossible Creatures: "There was Tolkien, there is Pullman, and now there is Katherine Rundell."

And this September she delivered a follow up with The Poisoned King: "a spectacular return to a fabulously created world for newcomers and returning fans alike...an absolute, exquisitely written, expertly plotted, emotionally affecting and totally immersive triumph!" commented Joy Court for LoveReading4Kids.

So you can imagine our giddiness when we read the news that The Walt Disney Studios have acquired the rights to the Impossible Creatures series. 

About the Impossible Creatures series

The series which debuted in 2023 and is set in the fictional world of the Glimouria Archipelago, has quickly become a publishing phenomenon. The most recent installment, “The Poisoned King, debuted as an immediate global bestseller making Rundell the first U.K. children’s author since J.K. Rowling to simultaneously reach the No. 1 position on the children’s book charts in both the U.K. and the U.S. To date, Rundell’s full body of work has sold more than four million copies worldwide, and in 2024 she was awarded both ‘Author of The Year’ and ‘Children’s Book of The Year’ at The British Book Awards.

Initially envisioned as a trilogy, Rundell expanded Impossible Creatures to a five-book series earlier this year in two major seven-figure publishing deals with Bloomsbury and Knopf. The first two books have already sold over one million copies across 37 territories, and Rundell is in discussions to further expand the franchise beyond the five-novel series.

Rundell to pen and develop theatrical feature film screenplays for first two books in the series. 

As part of Disney’s expansive deal with Rundell and her production company Impossible Films, Disney has secured theatrical film and ancillary rights to the Impossible Creatures series, with Rundell central to the creative vision and development of the franchise. She will adapt the first two books into feature film screenplays under the Disney Live Action banner and produce alongside her creative partner Charles Collier. In addition, Impossible Films will begin a first-look development relationship with Disney that includes all of Rundell’s current and upcoming literary properties. Impossible Films will remain based in London and led by Rundell with a team that includes Collier, producer Alexandra Derbyshire (Paddington 2, Wonka) and Simon Bax, former CFO of Pixar Animation Studios and President of Studio Operations at Fox.

Rundell's transportive book series will join Disney’s legacy of groundbreaking storytelling and collaboration with visionary artists and filmmakers. With its richly imagined universe brimming with unique characters and endless possibilities, Impossible Creatures and the world of “Glimouria” are poised to captivate audiences for years to come.

What Disney had to say about the deal with Katherine Rundell

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be linking arms with Disney. It’s a privilege to be writing these screenplays and developing these first movies in the franchise together with Charles, my team at Impossible Films, and with the exceptional team at Disney,” said Katherine Rundell. “I’m especially grateful to Bob Iger, whose enthusiasm after reading the book helped set this collaboration in motion, and to Alan Bergman and David Greenbaum for being incredible partners throughout this process. Our ambition is to build ‘Glimouria’ and ‘Impossible Creatures’ into a spectacular series of films, so that we can entertain and inspire family audiences across the world.”

“When I read Impossible Creatures, I knew it belonged here at Disney. I was immediately drawn into the vibrant world Katherine imagined and the possibilities of what we could do together with this story,” said Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “Written by Katherine herself, these movies are in the best of hands with our Walt Disney Studios team, and I can’t wait to see this tale brought to the screen.”

“Katherine Rundell has masterfully crafted a spectacular and immersive world with ‘Impossible Creatures, and her vision is a perfect match for the Disney storytelling tradition,” said Alan Bergman, Co-Chairman, Disney Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company, and David Greenbaum, President, Disney Live Action and 20th Century Studios said, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Katherine and Charles to bring this epic saga to life for audiences worldwide—it’s going to be an extraordinary adventure.”

@katherine.rundell

Click on the books below to download an extract, buy a copy, or read in full our reviews of the Impossible Creatures series.