Kindle to develop TV series based on The Famous Five

July 13, 2012 by Jeremy Dickson

UK-based indie production house Kindle Entertainment has entered into a co-production deal with Enid Blyton estate owners Hachette UK to produce a TV series based on Blyton’s bestselling classic children’s book series The Famous Five.

Under the agreement, Kindle will be pitching the TV series to broadcasters and distributors in the hopes of securing production funding.

The Famous Five books, which follow the mysterious adventures of a young female protagonist, George, her dog Timmy and friends Julian, Dick and Anne, were first published in 1942. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the publication of the first Famous Five title, Five On A Treasure Island.

The TV series is set to add a contemporary time-travelling element to the storyline taking George back through time to 1954.

This won’t be the IP’s first adaptation for the small screen. As recently as 2008, Disney Channel UK debuted an animated Famous Five series co-produced by former Blyton Estate rights owner Chorion and Paris-based Marathon Media (now a Zodiak subsidiary).

To date, more than 500 million Blyton books have been sold worldwide and more than one million copies of The Famous Five books are sold every year. The series has also been translated in 40 languages reaching more than 50 global markets.

The latest deal comes on the heels of CBeebies commissioning Kindle’s new factual health-based preschool show Get Well Soon.

Tags: Enid Blyton, Hachette UK, Kindle Entertainment, The Famous Five