Netflix to adapt Lemony Snicket's 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A Series of Unfortunate Events is being adapted by Netflix.

The streaming site will develop an original series based on the children's books by Lemony Snicket, the pen name of author Daniel Handler. Netflix will produce the series alongside Paramount Television, with Handler as executive producer.

"I can't believe it," Snicket said in a statement. "After years of providing top-quality entertainment on demand, Netflix is risking its reputation and its success by associating itself with my dismaying and upsetting books."

A Series of Unfortunate Events is actively narrated by Snicket, and follows Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire. The characters are siblings placed in the custody of their villainous distant relative, Count Olaf, after their parents die in a house fire.

"On the search for fantastic material that appeals to both parents and kids, the first stop for generations of readers is A Series of Unfortunate Events," Netflix original content vice president Cindy Holland said. "The world created by Lemony Snicket is unique, darkly funny and relatable. We can't wait to bring it life for Netflix members."

The first three books in the series were adapted for film as Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events in 2004. Jim Carrey starred as Count Olaf, with Emily Browning as Violet, Liam Aiken as Klaus, Kara and Shelby Hoffman as Sunny and Jude Law as the voice of Snicket.