Henson Company's Feature Film Slate Grows

The Jim Henson Company announced today three new additions to their feature film development slate. The company recently acquired the rights to three fantasy titles which they plan to develop into feature films. Aside from producing the films, the Jim Henson Company's Creature Shop is planning to provide numerous characters and creatures for each film using a blend of CGI and animatronics.

The Boggart, a book by Susan Cooper originally published in 1993, tells the story of a family from Toronto who inherits a Scottish castle and all its contents - including the gleeful spirit who has been playing tricks on the castle residents for generations. The story is in development as a "live-action family film" with Brian Henson attached to direct.

The Doubtful Guest, a book by Edward Gorey that debut in 1957, tells the story of an inexplicable and mysterious creature that shows up unannounced and unwelcome at a family-owned bed & breakfast. Brad Peyton is attached to direct and Matthew Huffman is attached to write the screenplay.

Monster Blood Tattoo, a series of three books by D.M. Cornish, tells an adventure story set in a magical Victorian world where an orphaned boy embarks on a perilous quest to become an apprentice to an esteemed line of monster bounty hunters. No writer or director are officially attached yet, however Lisa Henson, Brian Henson, and Jason Lust are all locked in as producers for the project.

Lisa Henson said, “What is exciting to us about these projects is that they are wonderful, unique fantasy stories, each having their own challenges when adapting them for the big screen. We are looking forward to seeing our artists at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop bring The Boggart, the Doubtful Guest and the creatures of The Half-Continent to life and to realizing all these great stories in creative and exciting ways that we hope their loyal fans will enjoy."

Aside from these three titles, the Jim Henson Company's feature film division is continuing work on their sequel to The Dark Crystal, titled Power of the Dark Crystal, along with continuing development on a Fraggle Rock feature film. I will keep you updated with more information on these, and other, Jim Henson Company projects and films as more information is released.