Nicholas Flamel novels heads to big screen
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel novels headed to the big screen
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By Matt Hallam. |  |
Thursday, 19, Nov 2009 04:00
By Lewis Bazley.
Bonaventura Pictures is hoping to create cinematic gold after buying the rights to the fantasy novels The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel.
Written by Michael Scott, the six-part series - of which three titles have currently been published - tells of two teenage twins who travel across the world with the titular alchemist.
Flamel, a 14th century French scrivener renowned as an alchemist due to his reputed work on the philosopher's stone, was mentioned in the first book in JK Rowling's Harry Potter series as well as Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code.
With the Harry Potter films due to come to an end in 2011, the Nicolas Flamel books are viewed as an ideal source for a lucrative new franchise of fantasy films.
New Line Cinema bought the rights in 2006 but after that firm folded, the rights became available again and have been acquired by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who helped launch the Harry Potter movies.
"Michael's fantastic series is a natural evolution from Harry Potter," he told ScreenDaily of the Nicolas Flamel books.
"I am tremendously excited with Lorenzo's passion and enthusiasm for this series," Scott added.
"I am convinced he is the right person to bring these stories to life."
The first three books in the series, The Alchemyst, The Magician and The Sorceress, are available in 37 countries and 20 languages, with the fourth, The Necromancer, due to be released in May 2010.