Sony Pictures buys Bad Mermaids film rights

Sony Pictures Animation has optioned the film rights to Sibéal Pounder’s Bad Mermaids series, illustrated by Jason Cockcroft and published by Bloomsbury.

The animation company struck the deal with The Artists’ Partnership, who was acting on behalf of Pounder’s literary agency The Bent Agency, and  Zoe Ross, who represented the illustrator Jason Cockcroft on behalf of United Agents.

Bad Mermaids is about three mermaids who fight a mysterious evil with the help of a quick-talking seahorse. The first two books Bad Mermaids and On the Rocks are already published in the UK and a third, On Thin Ice, will follow in June next year.

"I'm a huge Sony Animation fan and I'm thrilled to be working with them," said Pounder. "Eric and the team have been so enthusiastic and are enormously creative, I know they'll do a fabulous job of bringing Bad Mermaids to the big screen."