With Harry Potter wrapping up this summer, Hollywood is on the look out for the next big family fantasy franchise. There have been numerous attempts by various studios over the years, but nothing’s really captured the Hogwarts magic. Even getting HP 1 & 2 director Chris Columbus on board Percy Jackson didn’t ensure success for that franchise, but Warner is hoping they’ll have more luck by handing the adaptation of Oscar Pill to Potter producer David Heyman.
Although not a particularly well known name, Heyman is in many ways the mainstay of the Potter pics, having produced all eight of them and being the kepy figure behind-the-scenes, ensuring the series stayed on track. Indeed many credit Warner’s trust in him for the fact the studio has been more hands-off with the series than is usual for a massive property like Potter. And as studio interference has ruined many franchises, that can only be a good thing.
According to The Wrap, Heyman will steer development on the adaption of French author and physician Eli Anderson’s The Adventures of Oscar Pill, which like HP centres on an unusual teenage boy. However rather than discovering he’s a wizard, this kid gets the ability to travel through living organisms, inside their body, allowing him to fight evil inside people. Also like Potter, he’s haunted by parental death, in this case the mysterious demise of his father.
There are five book in the series, so plenty of franchise potential if the first movie is a success.