Walt Disney Pictures has acquired big screen rights to author Jonathan Auxier’s 2014 young adult fantasy novel, “The Night Gardener.” Variety has the news, reporting that Auxier himself is adapting his own book for development as a live action feature. On his official site, The Scop, Auxier describes “The Night Gardener” as follows:
The Night Gardener is a Victorian ghost story about two abandoned Irish siblings who travel to work as servants at a creepy, crumbling English manor house. But the house and its family are not quite what they seem. Soon the children are confronted by a mysterious spectre and an ancient curse that threatens their very lives. More than just a spooky tale, it’s also a moral fable about human greed and the power of storytelling.
Auxier is best known for his acclaimed 2011 book, “Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes.” In addition to writing, Auxier provides his own illustrations.
Jim Whitaker will produce The Night Gardener. Among his credits with Disney are the magical family drama The Odd Life of Timothy Green, the upcoming Pete’s Dragon remake, and the true coast guard rescue story The Finest Hours, set to star Ben Foster, Casey Affleck, Chris Pine, Eric Bana and Holliday Grainger.
