‘Caster’ Young Adult Book Series Optioned for Film at Paramount
Paramount Pictures has optioned the film rights for “Caster,” a magical, dystopian young adult book series from author Elsie Chapman that Scholastic Entertainment will produce.
Scholastic Entertainment, the media division of the book’s publisher Scholastic, will team with Barry Josephson’s Josephson Entertainment and Akiva Goldsman’s Weed Road Pictures in producing the film adaptation.
“Caster,” which was published in 2019 and is now a two-book series, follows the story of Aza Wu, a girl who lives in a world where magic exists and is both dangerous and illegal. But after casting magic led to the death of her sister Shire, Aza must now step in to save the legacy of her family’s Wu Teas, the tea house that has been in her family for centuries. Fans have described the book as “Avatar: The Last Airbender” meets “Fight Club” as Aza goes underground to participate in a dangerous magic fighting tournament.
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Goldsman and Greg Lessans of Weed Road Pictures are producing with Scholastic Entertainment president Iole Lucchese and SVP & general manager Caitlin Friedman. For Josephson Entertainment, its principal, Barry Josephson and company head D. Matt Geller will oversee the adaptation.
“‘Caster’ is an absolutely thrilling story with twists and turns that keep readers riveted and holding their breath to see what happens next,” Lucchese said in a statement. “We are very excited to be working with Josephson Entertainment and Akiva and his team at Weed Road Pictures to bring this exhilarating story to life on screen.”
“‘Caster’ is a wildly imaginative vision of an earth infused with magic, but with a very grounded and contemporary heroine at its core,” Goldsman said in a statement. “I’m so excited to help bring Aza and her world to life alongside my terrific partners at Josephson, Scholastic Entertainment, and Paramount.”
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“With its captivating story line and strong and resourceful lead female character, ‘Caster’ is sure to win over audiences, just as it has amassed a large and loyal fanbase of readers,” Josephson said in a statement. “We’re so pleased to be working with Scholastic Entertainment and Weed Road on this ‘magical’ adventure.”
Scholastic Entertainment recently set a live-action film based on “The Magic School Bus” at Universal with Elizabeth Banks attached to star as Ms. Frizzle, and the company is also working on a “Clifford the Big Red Dog” film and an animated take on “The Bad Guys.”
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