Disney is preparing a major shift in its franchise strategy, and the studio is already speaking candidly about the property it hopes will reshape its fantasy future—Katherine Rundell’s “Impossible Creatures.”
The Walt Disney Company (DIS) released its fiscal 2025 fourth-quarter report earlier this week, pointing to stronger-than-expected performance across its core businesses. While recent theatrical misfires like Disney's Snow White (2025), Captain America: Brave New World (2025), and Tron: Ares (2025) didn’t get airtime, the company celebrated how its most reliable brands continue to drive results. Over the past two years, four Disney releases have topped the $1 billion global mark, a streak that the studio notes no other Hollywood competitor has matched.
20th Century Studios’ Predator: Badlands (2025) added fuel to that momentum with the best opening in the franchise’s almost 40-year history. With that debut, The Walt Disney Studios crossed $4 billion worldwide for the fourth straight year.
“Heading into the holiday season, we are excited to bring audiences Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Zootopia 2 and 20th Century Studios’ Avatar: Fire and Ash,” Disney wrote in its executive overview. “Looking ahead, our calendar 2026 slate includes numerous highly anticipated titles such as 20th Century Studios’ The Devil Wears Prada 2, Lucasfilm’s The Mandalorian and Grogu, Pixar’s Toy Story 5, Disney’s live-action Moana, and Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday.”
But the company also spotlighted the franchise it believes could define the next decade of fantasy storytelling. Last month, Disney secured the rights to the “Impossible Creatures” book series, which many have already positioned as a successor to the type of global fantasy phenomenon once driven by Harry Potter.
“We also recently acquired the highly coveted rights to the acclaimed ‘Impossible Creatures' book series, which we anticipate will become another exciting new storytelling franchise for Disney,” the summary reads.
Industry trade Deadline broke the scope of the deal: “In a deal worth a substantial seven figures, Walt Disney Studios won an auction to acquire rights to ‘Impossible Creatures,' the fantasy series by acclaimed British author Katherine Rundell. She will adapt the first two books in the series into screenplays.”
Rundell’s fantasy world, set within the hidden Glimouria Archipelago, spans islands overflowing with magical wildlife perfectly suited for cinematic world-building. The series centers on Christopher and Mal as they embark on a sweeping adventure to protect magical creatures as their world begins to fade. Disney sees this mix of mythic landscapes, character-driven emotion, and coming-of-age storytelling as ideal franchise material.
The saga is planned as five books, with the first book released in 2023 and the second in 2025. Collectively, the series has already sold more than one million copies, while Rundell’s full catalog surpasses four million sales. Disney’s direct creative partnership with the author—who will write and produce the first two films alongside Charles Collier—sets this adaptation apart. Executives, including Bob Iger and Alan Bergman, have praised the series’ potential.
The acquisition marks one of Disney’s most ambitious content moves in years, arriving as Warner Bros. develops its own fantasy revival through the HBO television retelling of J.K. Rowling’s seven-book Harry Potter saga—an endeavor that continues to draw controversy surrounding Rowling’s involvement and casting decisions.
Could “Impossible Creatures” reshape Disney’s fantasy landscape? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
