‘G.I. Joe’ Producer Grabs Nicolas Flamel Series

Published by Jeff Leins on: November 19th, 2009

Comparing a series to J.K. Rowling’s has been the kiss of death in book adaptations for all but the Twilight saga.  Every few months another children’s movie crops up as “the next Harry Potter,” and ultimately takes a dive at the box office.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a perfect example of “one and done” after it was paralleled to Potter.  Inkheart, starring Brendan Fraser, suffered the same fate.  Plus the failure of The Golden Compass and the declining appeal of even the Narnia series.  The upcoming Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief has also been cursed with the correlation, even picking up Potter veteran director Chris Columbus in an attempt to recapture the magic.

Which is why Transformers and G.I. Joe producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura may have just doomed his new acquisition right out of the gate. The major Hollywood player has picked up the six-part fantasy series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel written by Michael Scott (not “The Office” boss), reports Variety, and is calling it “a natural evolution from Harry Potter.”

Di Bonaventura helped bring the first two Potters to the screen at Warner Bros before leaving for a Paramount deal that included the aforementioned Hasbro hits.  Now, after acquiring the rights from the defunct New Line, he is planning an adaptation of the first Scott book, “The Alchemyst,” yet another kid-focused fantasy tale about the power of books.

Nicolas Flamel’s real life alchemy trade in the 14th century is expanded into a family-friendly legend about immortality, magic, and alternate realms.  It should be noted the alchemyst angle is reminiscent of Potter’s “Philospher’s Stone” beginnings, and the original Rowling novel references Flamel.  How is this book not banned in libraries yet!  Get on it, crazy conservative groups!

The first three books are available (for now!), while the fourth is due in May 2010.