Random House JV lands first screen option

Random House Children's Screen Entertainment (RHCSE), the JV production house with Komixx Entertainment, has picked up the worldwide film rights to teen-targeted sci-fi series Monster Republic.

The pre-emptive and pre-publication deal with first-time author Ben Horton, agented by Hothouse Fiction, will see the sci-fi novel Monster Republic: The Divinity Project as the first film project for the JV.

Andrew Cole-Bulgin, partner and head of film & TV for RHCSE, will jointly develop the creative vision and script for the film, video game and mobile screen content prior to publication with Hothouse, and is currently in talks with a major US studio for production and distribution of the film.