Pair Nabs Rights to V.C. Andrews Library
Dan Angel ("Door to Door") of the Hatchery has purchased rights to the V.C. Andrews library and teamed with Jane Startz ("Ella Enchanted") to develop and produce feature films, TV series and telepics based on Andrews' works. Angel and Startz announced the partnership Friday.
There are currently 70 Andrews books, launched in 1979 with "Flowers in the Attic," with worldwide sales of over 106 million copies in 95 countries in 26 languages in stories combining elements of Gothic horror and family secrets. Andrew Neiderman, who's penned 44 books under his own name, has been the ghostwriter of Andrews' books since her death in 1986. The latest addition is "Family Storms" and its sequel "Cloudburst," released in the fall. Paranormal love story "Into The Darkness" will be published in March and "The Forbidden Sister will be published in the fall 2012, followed by its sequel "Roxy's Story."
"V.C. Andrews is such a major cultural icon and has been for the last three decades," Startz said. "Her collected works are a treasure trove of genres--romance gothic, paranormal -- with highly original and often outré stories that have enormous multigenerational and multicultural appeal."
Angel's credits include "The Haunting Hour," "Dan Vs." and "Gifted Hands." Startz produced "The Indian in the Cupboard," "The Mighty" and "Tuck Everlasting." Simon & Schuster UK, long-term publishers of V.C. Andrews, said in a statement, "We are delighted that Virginia Andrews will find a new audience through this exciting collaboration with The Hatchery and Jane Startz Prods., taking this global brand to even greater heights."
In 2007, the Hatchery and Jaffe/Braunstein announced plans to develop a miniseries for Lifetime based on the Andrews' "The Landry" but the project didn't come together.