HarperCollins and Walden Media Launch Walden Pond Press

NEW YORK, May. 12 /PRNewswire/ --

NEW YORK, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- HarperCollins Children's Books and Walden Media, the film studio behind The Chronicles of Narnia and Bridge to Terabithia, today announced a strategic partnership to establish a new children's book imprint called Walden Pond Press. The announcement was made by Susan Katz, President and Publisher of HarperCollins Children's Books and Micheal Flaherty, Co-Founder and President of Walden Media.

Under the multi-year agreement, Walden Pond Press will acquire and publish books for young readers; pair book properties with filmmakers and actors; and collaborate on the development and production of motion pictures based on select book titles. The joint venture follows a longstanding promotional partnership between Walden Media and HarperCollins supporting literacy, featuring books such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, Bridge to Terabithia and Charlotte's Web that have been published by HarperCollins and adapted for the big screen by Walden.

The first Walden Pond title will be The Will of Will Wolfkin, by Steven Knight, the Academy Award(R) nominated screenwriter of Dirty Pretty Things who also wrote the screenplays for Eastern Promises and Amazing Grace. In addition, Walden Media has hired Knight to be principal screenwriter of Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third installment of the Chronicles of Narnia series produced by Walden Media in association with the Walt Disney Company. The Will of Will Wolfkin, a sweeping epic fantasy set under a glacier in Iceland, is scheduled to be published by Walden Pond Press in Fall 2009.

Walden Pond Press is Walden Media's first dedicated publishing imprint. The deal was negotiated by Susan Katz of HarperCollins and Chip Flaherty, Executive Vice President of Publishing at Walden Media. The imprint will be led editorially at HarperCollins by Brenda Bowen, Vice President and Publisher, the Bowen Press, and at Walden Media by Deborah Kovacs, Senior Vice President of Publishing. The new entity will have offices at HarperCollins headquarters in New York and at Walden Media offices in Boston and be supported by its own dedicated editorial and marketing staff.

"We have partnered with Walden Media successfully on many projects -- Narnia, Charlotte's Web, Bridge to Terabithia. This joint venture solidifies our already successful relationship," said Susan Katz, President and Publisher of HarperCollins Children's Books. "Having a single imprint will enable Walden Media to focus their book publishing program and Harper to market and sell the books most effectively."

"We've had extraordinary success turning great stories into great films," said Micheal Flaherty, Co-Founder and President of Walden Media. "Walden Pond Press will continue that success on the printed page, delivering Walden's uplifting and entertaining stories to an even wider audience."

About HarperCollins Children's Books

HarperCollins Children's Books is one of the leading publishers of children's books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many timeless treasures -- Charlotte's Web, The Chronicles of Narnia, Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends and Where the Wild Things Are; and popular new classics -- A Series of Unfortunate Events, Warriors and Fancy Nancy. HarperCollins Children's Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, one of the leading English language publishers in the world and a subsidiary of News Corporation . Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australasia. You can visit HarperCollins Children's Books at www.harpercollinschildrens.com and HarperCollins Publishers at .

About Walden Media LLC

Walden Media specializes in entertainment that sparks imagination and engages young people in the learning process. Walden creates films, books and interactive media for the whole family to enjoy together. By working closely with the best talent in film and publishing and by collaborating with educators and parents, Walden Media develops stories that delight and entertain audiences young and old. Walden Media produced the Academy Award(R) winning film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in association with Walt Disney Pictures, Charlotte's Web with Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies and Bridge to Terabithia with Walt Disney Pictures. Walden Media currently has a joint venture with Twentieth Century Fox to market and release family films for audiences of all ages. Films released under this venture include Nim's Island and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (co-produced with Mandate Pictures). Other upcoming releases include Journey 3D (with New Line Cinema), and the second film in the Narnia series, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

HarperCollins contact: Melissa Dittmar, HarperCollins Children's Books 212-261-6792 melissa.dittmar@harpercollins.com Walden Media contact: Jonathan Bing, Freud Communications 323-866-6060 jonathan.bing@freud.com