House Of Secrets Series Coming To Disney+ From Harry Potter Director

Director Chris Columbus is returning to his roots: small children risking their lives on dangerous adventures. Between writing "The Goonies," launching the "Harry Potter" franchise and helming the only "Home Alone" movies that actually count, Columbus has proven himself a pretty solid bet when it comes to stories about reckless kids and unpredictable action. So his latest project, "House of Secrets," shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, especially given the this next bit of info...

The show is based on a series of kids fantasy novels written by — you'll never believe this — Chris Columbus! 

Columbus co-wrote the trilogy with the late Ned Vizzini ("Be More Chill"), beginning with the first novel in 2013 and concluding three years later. Here's what we know about the plot of "House of Secrets." 

"Siblings Brendan, Eleanor and Cordelia Walker aren't pleased when their family relocates to a creepy Victorian house once owned by an occult novelist, Denver Kristoff. By the time the Walkers realize that their new neighbor has sinister plans for them, they're trapped in the magical house, traveling through the fantastical intertwined universes of Kristoff's novels."

The "House of Secrets" series sees Columbus teaming up with his 26th Street Pictures partners, Michael Barnathan, and Mark Radcliffe.

Columbus has plenty of experience to pull from when it comes to adapting middle-grade fantasy novels. But hopefully he leans more into his time on the "Harry Potter ” sets and doesn't remind us all the "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" horrors. Columbus' 2010 adaptation of "The Lightning Thief ” didn't exactly get rave reviews, but no one was harsher on the film than its author, Rick Riordan and his core fanbase. This time around, Columbus is well acquainted with the source material and those behind it, so he shouldn't run into the same issue. Ironically, his upcoming Disney+ bound series will be in development alongside the streamer's upcoming "Percy Jackson" series.

So what can we expect from "House of Secrets"? 

The Disney+ provided description indicates a perilous adventure that begins with your Goosebumps-typical creepy house but devolves into a journey through various fantasy worlds. Given all we've seen from Columbus thus far, we can expect all that good sentimental family bonding to occur — especially with a team of siblings leading the series. But to gauge a little more, here's what we know from the book synopsis:

Siblings Brendan, Eleanor, and Cordelia Walker once had everything they could ever want. But everything changed when Dr. Walker lost his job. Now the family must relocate to an old Victorian house, formerly the home of occult novelist Denver Kristoff—a house that simultaneously feels creepy and too good to be true. By the time the Walkers realize that one of their neighbors has sinister plans for them, they're banished to a primeval forest way off the grid.

Bloodthirsty medieval warriors patrol the woods around them, supernatural pirates roam the neighboring seas, and a power-hungry queen rules the land. To survive, the siblings will have to be braver than they ever thought possible—and to fight against their darkest impulses. The key may lie in their own connection to the secret Kristoff legacy. But as they unravel that legacy, they'll discover that it's not just their family that's in danger . . . it's the entire world.

If the series follows in the novel's footsteps, we can expect a fun mix of heart and adventure: the emotional core of the family conflict plus the thrilling adventure of a magical world. It all sounds very "Narnia" (minus all the Christianity?), with the kids ultimately needing to save the wider world. And who's to say where it will go from there? Based on the novels, "House of Secrets" will be the kind of jam-packed adventure that gets bigger with new season.

Before we see "House of Secrets" for ourselves, Chris Columbus' name will hit the big screen once more. Still slated for release in 2022 is his film adaptation of "Five Nights At Freddy's," written and directed by Columbus and produced by Jason Blum. The story is based on the survival video game of the same name, where a family pizza restaurant is haunted by its hostile animatronic characters.