Since ‘Harry Potter’, young adult fantasy has become an integral part of the bookshelves in children’s and teenagers’ rooms. And the genre is also a welcome guest in the cinema, always with blockbusters. In 2023, ‘The Hunger Games – The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes’, the prequel to the dystopian fantasy megahit with Jennifer Lawrence, was last convincing.
And fantastic young adult novels are also very popular in this country. A series that has been particularly popular in recent years is the ‘Woodwalkers’ franchise by writer Katja Brandis. In Germany alone, more than 2.4 million books were sold in 2023. The story concerns a young cougar shapeshifter who attends a school specifically designed for human-animal shifters. Here he meets new friends and has to defend himself against an annoying villain.
Of course, the school environment alone brings back memories of “Harry Potter” – but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything bad. A three-part theatrical adaptation of “Woodwalkers” is now in development. The starting shot would previously take place early next year (January 30, 2025). But the release has now been brought forward by more than two months. Fans of the series can look forward to diving into the world of the changing creatures on November 21, 2024.
Part 2 According to the current plan, the trilogy will hit theaters on January 29, 2026 and all last you can admire it on January 28, 2027.
This is “Woodwalkers”
If you haven’t connected with this series yet, here’s a quick recap: The focus of the novels is on the shapeshifters that exist unnoticed in society. These are people who can turn into animals or animals that can turn into people – and with some practice, they can switch back and forth between these forms with almost no problem.
The main character of the new series is Carag (Emile Cherif), a young shifter who can take the form of a puma. At the age of 11, he leaves his family, who live in animal form in the wilderness, and enters the human world. Here he is placed with a foster family and introduced to a new way of life. But his secret talents do not remain undiscovered. He is sent to Clearwater High, a school specifically designed for Woodwalkers…
The new adaptation is directed by Damian John Harper (“The King of Palma”). In addition to Martina Gedeck (“The Lives of Others”) and Hannah Herzsprung (“15 Years”), “Dark” star Oliver Masucci will also appear in front of the camera as antagonist Andrew Milling.