41 Entertainment Expanding into YA Animation

41 Entertainment has plans to expand into young adult animation focused on paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

As part of the new strategy, the company is adapting the best-selling Supernatural Academy book series by Jaymin Eve. The CG-animated series, envisioned with toon shading, will target females aged 16 to 34. It is slated to launch in the fall of 2021.

In Supernatural Academy, shapeshifters, vampires, magic users and fey learn about their abilities, and how to function in the human world. Protagonist Maddison James, who has been living in the human world inhabited by the various magical races, is completely unaware she’s supernatural. But on her 22nd birthday, she’s informed that she has powers that are growing and that she needs to learn how to control her abilities at the school.

41 Entertainment has secured exclusive, global, multimedia animation rights to both Eve’s Supernatural Academy and Supernatural Prison book series.

Kiersten Halstead, VP of acquisitions, development and production, said: “While we remain very committed to the children’s animated market, we know that this segment is getting younger as older kids are migrating to other media. Based on the continued success of YA live-action series, it is clear that young adults love the genre. With our animation expertise, we are confident that stories about shapeshifters, vampires, witchcraft and magic can best be told in high-quality CG animation. We are thrilled to have secured the animation rights to Jaymin’s Supernatural Academy books, and the related best-selling series entitled Supernatural Prison.”

Executive Producer Allen Bohbot added: “Jaymin Eve’s book series, Supernatural Academy, is the No. 1 best-selling book in the teen and young adult paranormal and urban fantasy e-books on Amazon and Jaymin Eve herself is the second best-selling author on Amazon for teens and young adults. There are so many stories to be told based on these characters and we want to be true to the huge install base of existing readers and fans. The world-building visuals are going to be amazing!”

Eve commented: “I could not be happier to see my work on the screen in animation and I am thrilled to partner with 41E who have shown such interest in the characters and worlds that I created. This is very exciting with a new book in the series out next spring and more to follow. I know my fans will love this.”