Columbia Pictures has acquired movie rights to Scholastic Media’s bestselling Goosebumps book series from author R.L. Stein. A feature film based on collection of kid-friendly creepy tales will be produced by Deborah Forte, producer and president of Scholastic Media, along with Neal H. Moritz, producer of such recent films as I Am Legend, Vantage Point, Prom Night and Made of Honor.
Topped only by the Harry Potter franchise in the realm of supernatural kid lit, Goosebumps has been published in more than 32 languages and has sold more than 300 million copies worldwide. The series was adapted for the small screen by Scholastic Ent. and was a ratings hit for four seasons on the Fox Kids Network. Episodes aired in more than 100 countries and were picked up by Cartoon Network last year.
Goosebumps HorrorLand, a new series of 12 books written by Stine, hit stores last month. The property’s first serialized adventure in which each book is part of the same plot, HorrorLand features the return of such fan-favorite characters as Slappy the Dummy, the Haunted Mask and the Mummy. The franchise will expand into a new arena when Scholastic Interactive unveils a Goosebumps video game this fall.
Columbia will begin developing the first Goosebumps movie immediately. Andrea Giannetti will oversee the project on behalf of the studio, working closely with Original Films and Scholastic. The tentpole is sure to employ a good deal of visual effects work to bring to life Stein’s imaginative world and the strange creatures that inhabit it.
