EXCLUSIVE: UK TV personality Dermot O’Leary’s book series Toto the Ninja Cat is being adapted into an animated series by Studiocanal and Superprod. Check out first look image below.
O’Leary, a former X Factor host, will see his book turned into a 52-episode action-comedy show by Emmy-winning head writers Nick Ostler and Mark Huckerby (Danger Mouse).
The novels follow the titular character, who is the newest member of a secret league of international ninja cats. Partially sighted from birth, she has turned her visual impairment into a ninja superpower, using heightened senses to navigate the city and outsmart villains. O’Leary has previously said he based the character on his real pet, a blind moggy he adopted in Italy.
Based on Nick East’s illustrations, the six books have been published over the past decade and the first was turned into a stage play that premiered earlier this year. A seventh book, Toto the Ninja Cat and the Football Fiasco, is coming out later this year. They have been translated into 19 languages and sold more than half a million English-language copies.
O’Leary is a British TV stalwart who previously hosted The X Factor and currently fronts ITV’s This Morning with Alison Hammond and the popular BBC Radio 2 Saturday breakfast show.
Studiocanal is making the series from its nascent Studiocanal Stories adaptations label, which is overseen by Sarah Reese Geffroy and has adaptations of Beth O’Leary’s Swept Away and Freida McFadden’s The Divorce upcoming. Hachette, which along with Studiocanal is part-owned by the Bolloré Group, publishes O’Leary’s books. Last month, Hachette Livre and Studiocanal announced a strategic book-to-screen adaptation JV called On Screen, although the O’Leary adaptation pre-dates this JV. Hachette Children’s Group manages TV and film rights for the series.
O’Leary said: “I am thrilled that Toto is about to become the star of her own television series. I am often asked what inspired me to write my children’s books and I cannot think of a better inspiration than Toto herself; with her kind nature and the simply wonderful idea that Toto is a loving mild-mannered kitten by day and a Ninja by night. I am inspired by the work that Studiocanal and Superprod have been developing in the family space and I can only begin to imagine Toto’s continued journey with their belief and infectious enthusiasm for her potential.”
Studiocanal Worldwide TV MD M-K Kennedy said she is “over-the-moon” to be welcoming Toto to a Studiocanal family alongside iconic characters like Paddington and Miffy. “The vibrancy, comedy and values in Dermot O’Leary’s beautifully crafted books is so utterly compelling, with characters that burst from the page with unique voices and laugh-out-loud antics,” she added. “Though Toto may not have 20/20 vision, she’s a bold, aspirational and inspirational reminder to kids of all ages that nothing should hold us back.”
O’Leary is EPing the project with Dee Koppang O’Leary, a director on Rivals. Studiocanal Kids & Family is handling worldwide sales. O’Leary is repped by Jadeen Singh at John Noel Management. East is repped by Heather Richards at Tallbean. Ostler and Huckerby are repped by Cathy King and Alex Bloch at 42.
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