Jellyfish to adapt Dermot O’Leary’s Toto The Ninja Cat

Jellyfish Pictures has acquired the rights to presenter Dermot O’Leary’s book series Toto The Ninja Cat. 

The VFX and animation studio’s Originals division - which covers original kids and family content - will now be responsible for the development, rights management, financing and commercial exploitation of the title. Jellyfish has focused on bolstering its Originals division in recent times, and its inaugural original series, Stan & Gran, co-produced with Jollywise Media, was recently greenlit by Milkshake! UK and goes into production early 2024.

Illustrated by Nick East, Toto The Ninja Cat is inspired by O’Leary’s own cats and tells the story of Toto, a partially sighted cat with razor-sharp senses, a nose for danger and a crime-busting spirit of adventure. It will be adapted into an animated comedy series with O’Leary as executive producer alongside Dee Koppang O’Leary, whose credits include Bridgerton, The Crown, The Split and Rivals.

The deal was negotiated by Karen Lawler, head of media rights & audio at Hachette Children’s Group, and Natalie Llewellyn, managing director of animation & originals at Jellyfish Pictures.

Llewellyn said, “Toto is a strong, empowering female lead who demonstrates positivity, adaptability, and resilience. We’re delighted to be working with Dermot and HCG and can’t wait to bring Toto’s hair-raising adventures to life, encouraging kids everywhere to embrace their inner ninja.”

Lawler added: “The HCG media rights team have loved Toto since her first day in print. We are committed to fostering strong relationships between book creators and producers, working with the best in the business and pairing our books with the right partners – and we know Jellyfish Pictures will be the purr-fect match for Toto.”