‘Redwall’ TV and Movie Adaptations Quietly Scrapped at Netflix

Image: Penguin Randomhouse UK

We recently passed the fifth anniversary of Netflix’s announcement that it would be adapting the popular Redwall franchise. However, it’s a sad day for fans of Matthias, Martin the Warrior, Log-a-Log, Constance, and all the inhabitants of Mossflower Wood, as Netflix has officially dropped its highly anticipated adaptation of Brian Jacques’ beloved Redwall book series.

This is according to a Broadcast Now’s new reportWhich confirmed that Netflix is ​​no longer developing any projects based on Jax’s seminal children’s works, effectively killing the animated universe that was first announced in 2021 to massive fanfare.

If you focus your attention on that original announcement, it was a huge coup for the streaming giant. For the first time, the adaptation rights to all 22 books in the series were held by a single company, with Netflix striking a massive deal with Penguin Random House to create a massive cinematic universe of films and event series.

At the time of the announcement, Horslen, fiction publisher, Penguin Random House, said, “We couldn’t be more pleased to announce this deal. These perennially popular stories are engraved in the hearts of millions of readers, and we’re thrilled to partner with Netflix to bring those beloved characters to the screen for families around the world to enjoy.”

So, what actually happened?

Rumors of behind-the-scenes trouble have been circulating in the animation community for some time. We already knew that Patrick McHale (over the garden wall) was originally tapped to write a feature film based on the first Redwall book (which is the eighth in the series’ chronology). By the end of 2022, it was revealed that the script had been completed, but he left the project.

Additionally, Netflix was preparing a limited series focusing on Martin the Warrior, the famous co-founder of Redwall Abbey, but it appears that project has suffered the same fate.

When we last reached out to Netflix about the project in early 2025, they confirmed that a project of some description was still in the works. We had also heard that some high-profile creators were involved, but alas, that did not happen. As is often the case with these big sweeping fantasy projects, there are good intentions from the start, but sometimes things get delayed, and other priorities come into play.

According to the broadcast, Netflix held the option on Jax’s works until last year, but let the deal expire. The rights have now officially returned to Penguin Random House and The Redwall Abbey Company. Netflix declined to comment on the report.

Some concept art for the film found its way online June 2025 From artist Bert YoonSome excerpts of which we have included below:

The acquisition of Redwall was originally part of a massive effort by Netflix to spin off iconic children’s literature, which was happening with their 2018 deal. The Chronicles of NarniaThe acquisition of the Roald Dahl Story Company in 2021, and their partnership for the Asterix animated series. Thankfully, the first of those projects will finally come to fruition in late 2026 with a live-action film starring Greta Gerwig.

Sadly, we will officially remove redwall From our huge preview of new animated movies coming to Netflix and beyond. It would be a shame for such an ambitious animated project to fail to see the light of day, especially with such a rich, nostalgic world.

Are you disappointed that Netflix isn’t moving forward with Redwall? Let us know in the comments below.