Horrible Histories–the British sketch comedy series produced for CBBC by Lion Television–is heading to the silver screen.

Production on Horrible Histories: The Movie is scheduled to begin next year, with the film due for release in 2019. The movie will be produced by UK-based Altitude Film Entertainment (Moonlight, Lady Macbeth) together with Citrus Films (whose television arm is behind the Horrible Histories television adaptations).

Set in Roman Britain, the movie is penned by Jessica Swale (Nell Gwynn) and will be directed by Dominic Brigstocke (Horrible Histories).

Horrible Histories: The Movie is the latest expansion for the brand, which includes international stage shows and a bestselling children’s book series. (Written by Terry Deary and illustrated by Martin Brown, Horrible Histories books first appeared in 1993 and have gone on to sell more than 30 million copies in 31 countries.) Rocket Licensing was recently appointed by Scholastic to manage UK licensing for the brand, and the two parties are working to expand into apparel, games, puzzles, homewares and digital apps.

To date, more than 20 licensees have inked agreements with Horrible Histories, including Danilo, Winning Moves and Smiffys.