A ninja cat is getting ready to pounce onto screens in a new adaptation from Jellyfish Originals. The studio has acquired the rights to turn Hachette Children’s Group’s five-book series Toto the Ninja Cat into an animated comedy-adventure show. 

Starring in the as-yet-untitled TV project is Toto, a partially sighted London cat with highly developed senses for tracking danger in her city. 

Emmy-winning screenwriters Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler (Peter Rabbit) are directing, with book author Dermot O’Leary (former host of The X Factor UK) executive producing with his wife Dee Koppang O’Leary (The Crown).

Jellyfish Pictures was attracted to the book franchise because of the empowering way it depicts visual disabilities—through the lens of a resilient cat who can adapt to any situation.

Hachette published the first Toto book in 2017, and it has since sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide in 17 languages, according to Jellyfish Pictures. 

Hachette is a major player in the kids publishing space, with imprints such as Orchard Books and Orion Children’s Books under its umbrella. The company also has licensing deals with big kids and family brands including Jurassic World and DreamWorks Animation’s Gabby’s Dollhouse.

In addition to the Toto project, Jellyfish Pictures is working on an animated series with UK’s Jollywise called Stan & Gran, which Milkshake! recently greenlit. It’s going into production in 2024.