CHILDREN OF THE LAMP setup by Dreamworks

By Matt Holmes / June 25, 2011

Children of the Lamp, hardly the most obvious choice when you consider their last project, the comedy drama Fast Track starring Zach Braff, Amanda Peet and Jason Bateman when STV. It's the duo's third studio deal after the aforementioned Fast Track and an upcoming Sacha Baron Cohen comedy Dinner for Schmucks. Producer Nina Jacobsen who spearheaded the kids fantasy franchises Pirates of the Caribbean, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Princess Diaries at Disney Buena Vista, is on board and with a clear proven track record in this field.

The "Lamp" series, from British author P.B. Kerr, includes four children's fantasy novels about a family of djinn (a kind of genie) who disguise themselves as humans but can still grant wishes. The books have sold more than 1 million copies worldwide and are viewed as a potential family-film franchise.

The novels touch on a variety of themes, with loyalty and family bond being most prevalent. A previous draft was written by Billy Elliott writer Lee Marshall but when the WGA strike halted his work, he moved on to work on other things. source - the hollywood reporter