Lion Forge Animation, the studio behind Oscar-winning short Hair Love, is partnering with Detroit-based prodco Folktellers Studios to develop and produce an animated series based on Josef Bastian’s Excerpts from an Unknown Guidebook publishing franchise, which launched in 2018 and now spans four titles.

Lion Forge is overseeing development and production on the TV project, which will revolve around a group of teenage storytellers who cross worlds and dimensions to fight evil forces. The target demo, animation style and delivery date of the adaptation were not available at press time.

Nicely Entertainment and Peter Mohan (The Hardy Boys) teamed up with Bastian last year to create 10 x 45-minute live-action series aimed at eight- to 12-year-olds, but there have been no new updates on this project since.

Lion Forge has been taking the kids industry by storm since it expanded beyond its comic book roots into animation. The Missouri-based studio has teamed up with Canada’s BRON Digital to produce an animated series called Heiress; is producing an animated series based on Hair Love for HBO Max; and has a first-look deal with Imagine Kids & Family to develop three new animated projects.