Theodosia Children’s Series in the Works

Theodosia, a magical Egyptology-themed adventure live-action kids’ series, is being co-produced by ZDF, ZDF Enterprises, HBO Max, Globo and Cottonwood Media.

Set in 1906 and based on the books by The New York Times best-selling author Robin L. LaFevers, Theodosia follows a young fearless girl with a passion for Egyptology at the turn of the century. With her feminist archaeologist mother and her father who runs a museum at her side, Theodosia uses her powers to see and transform ancient curses in a series of exciting magical adventures.

Filming is scheduled to commence in April 2021 in France and Belgium and will be directed by Matthias Hoene (Cockneys vs Zombies, The Warriors Gate), alongside Alex Jacob (Hollyoaks, Doctors) and others. Eloise Little (His Dark Materials, Father Brown) has been tapped to play Theodosia, and joins other cast members Nana Agyeman-Bediako (Come Away, The State, The Huntsman: Winter’s War) and Yasmina El-Abd (Daughters of Abdul-Rahman).

Federation Kids & Family and ZDF Enterprises will handle worldwide sales.

Joe Williams, head writer for the series, said: “When I first read Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, I instantly fell in love with the world Robin LaFevers created. It’s been a real privilege and a lot of fun adapting the books for the screen with the help of a wonderful team. It has everything a writer could wish for—magic, mystery and mummies!”

Nicole Keeb, head of international co-productions and acquisitions for children and youth at ZDF, said: “It was a long way from the first idea to realize the successful Theodosia books for television to the start of shooting. But the work, effort and patience have paid off. Together with our international partners, we focus on big stories and big pictures. Theodosia is to continue our successful ZDF live-action productions such as H2O, Mako Mermaids, The Worst Witch and, of course, Find Me in Paris.”

Arne Lohmann, VP of ZDFE.junior at ZDF Enterprises, added: “After the successful cooperation during three seasons of Find Me in Paris, it was only logical to realize the book adaptation of Theodosia jointly with Cottonwood. I am sure that Theodosia will build on the success of the book series as a TV adaptation and will inspire generations of children.”

David Michel, Cécile Lauritano and Zoé Carrera Allaix, co-founders of Cottonwood Media, said: “Cottonwood’s German production office and ZDF originally spotted the potential for the Theodosia books to be made into a TV series, especially as Ancient Egypt has always been shrouded in mystery, and intrigue that appeals to kids and adults of all ages. Working with such exceptional broadcast partners and talent, Theodosia will provide an amazing visual experience for the whole family. Whether she is breaking curses or using her magic to extinguish negative powers, Theo’s adventures will ignite a passion for adventure and leave viewers craving more.”

Ana Carolina Lima, head of content at Globoplay, said: “We are extremely happy with this partnership. Theodosia is Globoplay’s first international children’s live-action co-production. For this project, we also had the essential support from Globo’s channels Kids Unit—Gloob and Gloobinho – both in curation and in artistic development. We are very enthusiastic and confident that Theodosia will be another high-quality production that will soon be available on Globoplay and has great potential for engaging and amusing the Brazilian families.”