Former Harry Potter producer David Heyman is headed back to the world of family-friendly fantasy.
According to Deadline, Heyman has closed a deal to collaborate with StudioCanal on The Secret Garden, a new spin on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s cherished fairytale which Heyman will produce. UK scribe Jack Thorne – the sought-after writer attached to The Sandman and Stephen Chbosky’s poignant family drama Wonder – is on board to adapt the novel, which first graced the silver screen back in 1993.
Charting the tale of one Mary Lennox, The Secret Garden revolves around the wide-eyed, 10-year-old girl who is “sent to live with an uncle after her parents have died in a cholera outbreak in India. Initially sour and rude, Mary begins to explore the grounds of her uncle’s estate and befriends a robin. Mary hears of a locked-away, hidden garden. Together with the robin, she finds the key and enters the garden only to discover it is more magical than she could have ever imagined.”
Fresh from the surprising success of Paddington, it was only a matter of time before StudioCanal struck up a new deal with David Heyman and The Secret Garden certainly has all the makings of another family-oriented drama that could be nurtured into a bona fide hit.
Beyond that, David Heyman also holds a producing role on Warner Bros.’ budding franchise starter, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Expect that mystical offshoot to roar to life on November 16. Elsewhere, Heyman and StudioCanal are also toiling away on Paddington 2.
