Coolabi, Walker Productions Partner on Book-Based Series

LONDON: Coolabi is working with the production arm of book publisher Walker Books for a series based on the Scream Street novels by Tommy Donbavand.

Coolabi and Walker Productions have jointly secured the TV, gaming and licensing rights from Donbavand in order to develop an animated Scream Street series targeted at boys and girls aged between 7 and 10. Development kicks off this year for production to take place in 2012. The books chronicle the story of a school boy and reluctant werewolf who gets transferred to Scream Street, populated by surfer-dude goblins, laid-back zombies, ghosts, vampires and witches. Following the U.K. launch in 2008, the books have sold into China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Russia and Sweden.

Helen McAleer, managing director of Walker Productions, noted: “Tommy Donbavand’s ghoulishly brilliant books have attracted a loyal following of fans, and we’re very excited to be able to work with Coolabi on creating the TV series and introducing a truly original cast of creepy characters to even more children.”

Michael Dee, director of content at Coolabi, added, “Scream Street is a truly individual book series that we know will translate into a fantastic animated show for TV. We’re excited to be starting this new partnership with Walker Productions and bringing to life the books for existing fans and new audiences.”