After years of adapting other fantasy-filled stories, director and screenwriter Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) is finally bringing to life his own trilogy of children’s books. According to a Deadline report, Disney Branded Television has announced they are developing a House of Secrets series for Disney+ that will follow Columbus’ trilogy of the same name. While it’s not yet known when the television series is slated to hit the streaming service, action-adventure fantasy fans will be pleased to know Columbus has called the project a cousin to the 1985 film The Goonies, another beloved title the director helped work on.
The House of Secrets series, co-authored by Columbus and the late Ned Vizzini and published from 2013-2016, follows siblings Brendan, Eleanor, and Cordelia Walker as they are uprooted from their current family home and are forced to move into the Kristoff House. While their parents are thrilled at how spacious and affordable their new abode is, the children see it for what it really is instantly: creepy. However, this house is not just creepy but is also filled to the brim with mysteries, magic, and entries into other dimensions that ultimately send the Walker children on quite the adventure.
Columbus will be joined by his 26th Street Pictures partners, Michael Barnathan and Mark Radcliffe, as he begins work on the forthcoming series. As of right now, no other cast or crew member announcements have been made. According to Ayo Davis, the EVP of creative Development and strategy at Disney Branded Television, the team at Disney+ is delighted to be in work with the critically-acclaimed filmmakers, stating:
“Chris, Michael and Mark tell stories that resonate with multiple audiences, across generations and genres that deliver a sense of magic and wonderment through definitional characters. There is so much affinity for their acclaimed films, and we are delighted to be working with them to develop House of Secrets into a thrilling Disney+ series.”