LA-based Waterman Entertainment has acquired the rights to bestselling children’s book series The Billionaire’s Curse (a.k.a. The Archer Legacy) by Brisbane, Australia-based author Richard Newsome.

The series focuses on Gerald Wilkins, a 13-year-old who inherits billions, a Caribbean island, a yacht and three estates after the death of a great aunt he never knew. After discovering she was actually murdered, Gerald and his friends are thrust into action to find her killer.

Waterman EVP of production Cooper Waterman (Son of Bigfoot), alongside his father and company founder Steve Waterman and the former head of Ubisoft Film Group Matthew Phelps (Assassins Creed), will develop the property as a feature film or a television series, and seek out digital media and merchandising opportunities.

Since 2009, six books in the series have been published, including series opener The Billionaire’s Curse and 2016’s The Curiosity Machine. Newsome is currently working on a seventh instalment. To date, one million copies in the series have sold worldwide with translations in 15 languages.

Over the course of his career, Steve Waterman has worked on a number of kids and family feature films, including Casper (co-producer), Stuart Little and Stuart Little 2 (executive producer), and he served as EP on the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise from 20th Century Fox.