Horrible Histories Getting Feature Film Treatment

Horrible Histories, the best-selling children’s history-book series that has been adapted as a TV series and stage show, is headed to the big screen in 2019 with a feature film.

Scheduled to go into production next year, Horrible Histories: The Movie is being produced by Altitude Film Entertainment with Citrus Films, the TV arm of which is behind the successful television adaptations of Horrible Histories. The feature will be set in Roman Britain.

Horrible Histories: The Movie has been written by Jessica Swale, with Dominic Brigstocke directing. Written by Terry Deary and illustrated by Martin Brown, the Horrible Histories books first appeared in 1993. The publishing franchise has since sold more than 30 million copies of 80-plus titles in 31 countries.

The news of the feature film comes on the heels of the announcement that Rocket Licensing has been appointed by Scholastic to manage U.K. licensing for Horrible Histories.

Charlie Donaldson, joint managing director of Rocket Licensing, said: “A film version of the hit TV show and books was always likely but this is still an enormously exciting development. The writing, acting, directing and producing talent behind this project will further enhance a brand that, after almost 25 years old, is as fresh, funny and popular as ever.”