Singapore – Beach House Kids, a division of Beach House Pictures (BHP), is embarking on a new and very scary project.
The multi-award winning production company has secured exclusive rights to the hit kids horror books Mr Midnight written by James Lee.
The series, now totalling 85 titles and more than 160 stories, gives a unique and contemporary spin to ghosts, ghoulies and other things that go bump, rattle and roll in the night.
Described as Asia’s own Harry Potter, Mr Midnight has sold more than 2.7 million copies across the region including Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia. It has been translated into over six languages, and is rolling out to other markets, including Australia and North America in the coming year.
Beach House Kids, which this year won three Rainbow Awards and also a nomination at the upcoming Asian Television Awards for Kids vs. Film (Discovery Kids Asia), is already at work developing an initial 13-part television series aimed at tweens. It is also discussing co-production partnerships with several international broadcasters.
Award-winning Australian director Tony Tilse, who most recently worked on HBO Asia’s Serangoon Road and supernatural thriller Grace, is already attached the project. “The tween TV market is seriously underserviced – more so for young males,” said Marc Checkley, BHP’s Senior Development Producer. “Nothing is more addictive than a good scare and this series presents an exciting opportunity for broadcasters the world over. We see this as a truly international production with a treasure trove of scary tales to hook young viewers.”
Alex Chacko, Managing Director of Flame of the Forest, which published the books said, “We are thrilled that Beach House is working on Mr Midnight, our collaboration has been a dream so far. They share our vision of taking this home-grown brand, which has achieved phenomenal success regionally, to a whole new entertainment level.”
Jocelyn Little, BHP’s Managing Director added, “We’re seeing amazing growth in the kids television market and Beach House has enjoyed great success in this genre. We also recently helped launch the global pre-school channel ZooMoo. Producing high-quality kids drama is a big focus for us and we already have terrific talent on board adapting Mr Midnight for television.
