The right franchise can make or break a film studio, and the easiest way to find a franchise is in the world of literature. Studios regularly scoop up book properties hoping they will get the next Harry Potter or Twilight, but most the time, they get The 5th Wave or Mortal Instruments.
Part of the book cover to The Lost Property Office.
Sony Pictures just acquired a property they hope falls into that first category. It’s called The Lost Property Office, based on a book by James R. Hannibal.
Here’s what it’s about:
Thirteen-year-old Jack Buckles is great at finding things. Not just a missing glove or the other sock, but things normal people have long given up on ever seeing again. If only he could find his father, who has disappeared in London without a trace.
But Jack’s father was not who he claimed to be. It turns out that he was a member of a secret society of detectives that has served the crown for centuries — and membership into the Lost Property Office is Jack’s inheritance.
Now the only way Jack will ever see his father again is if he finds what the nefarious Clockmaker is after: the Ember, which holds a secret that has been kept since the Great Fire of London. Will Jack be able to find the Ember and save his father, or will his talent for finding things fall short?
It’s a cool premise. How are these people so good at finding things? What does a secret society of detectives do for the Crown? Where’s Jack’s father?
Also, this property reminds me of the old Nickelodeon show Finders Keepers. Remember that show? It was just kids breaking crap looking for little knickknacks. It was the best. Anyway, I digress.
Will The Lost Property Office be the next Harry Potter, Twilight or Hunger Games? Probably not. But as long as it tells an interesting story in a compelling way, audiences will show up.
[Deadline]