Waterside Studios & Author Marcela Citterio Sign Development Deals

Corus Entertainment’s Waterside Studios is set to produce live-action TV adaptations of author Marcela Citterio’s The Girl Who Didn’t Want to Be a Princess and Uma Ghost for young adults.

The Girl Who Didn’t Want to Be a Princess follows 18-year-old Aurora, who has no time for love, thinks the monarchy is overrated and accidentally goes viral for saying princes are boring puppets. Aurora’s life takes a dramatic turn when she falls in love with poor Tiziano, who is actually a prince from a neighboring island in disguise.

In Uma Ghost, Emmeline gets caught vandalizing her school and is sent to live with a new family, where she is forced to sleep in the room of their late daughter Uma. The adventures unfold one night when Emmeline discovers her mission is to help the family heal.

“Waterside Studios is honored to bring to life two great stories from a fantastic storyteller who connects with global audiences and has a proven track record of successful shows in the Latin, North American and European markets,” said Jeff Norton, head of Waterside Studios. “The stories are complementary yet completely different, but audiences can expect premium, family entertainment with comedic elements and unsuspecting plot twists.”

Following the success of Citterio’s book adaptation of Lady Voyeur on Netflix Brazil, along with her past successes for young audiences with Chica Vampiro and Yo Soy Frankie, The Girl Who Didn’t Want to Be a Princess and Uma Ghost are the latest titles added to her growing list of adaptations for streaming platforms and Latino TV channels.

“The Girl Who Didn’t Want to Be a Princess and Uma Ghost are two of the most important books of my life, as they truly embody my thirty years of storytelling experience,” said Citterio. “Being able to work hand-in-hand with Waterside Studios and Corus Entertainment to develop these characters and their stories into a TV series that gives them an innovative audiovisual narrative, a dimension that would not have been possible otherwise, is beyond any of my dreams.

“I’m grateful and excited that these industry giants trust my publisher, The Orlando Books, and me to support and co-create my visions. I know that together we will take the art of storytelling to new heights, and I can’t wait for the world to see what we’ve created.”