Netflix has officially abandoned its Redwall adaptations, letting the rights to Brian Jacques' beloved fantasy novels quietly lapse after years of development struggles.

According to What's on Netflix, the streamer secured adaptation rights to all 22 books back in 2021, announcing plans for an interconnected universe of films and limited series. Patrick McHale, creator of the cult animated series Over the Garden Wall, was hired to write a feature film and completed his script by late 2022.

Then... nothing. McHale departed the project, Netflix brought in new writers, and by early 2025 the company was still insisting development was "ongoing." Now, in 2026, the rights have reverted to Penguin Random House and The Redwall Abbey Company.

Sound familiar? It should. This is Netflix's playbook: announce a splashy adaptation of beloved IP, generate headlines and goodwill, hire talented creatives, then let the project die in development purgatory while moving on to the next thing.

Let's review Netflix's graveyard of abandoned adaptations. The Chronicles of Narnia was announced in 2018 with grand promises of films and series — the first project finally arrives in 2026, eight years later. The Roald Dahl universe deal produced Matilda the Musical and... we're still waiting for everything else. The Magic: The Gathering animated series from the Russos? Dead. Grendel? Dead. The list goes on.

Here's what's happening: Netflix uses these announcements as PR moves to signal they're "invested in prestige adaptations." They put projects into development, pay writers and producers, then kill them when the algorithm determines the ROI isn't there.

For Redwall fans who grew up with these books — stories of warrior mice, badger lords, and anthropomorphic animals defending their abbey — this stings. These novels have a devoted fanbase and rich world-building that could translate beautifully to animation. Patrick McHale would have been perfect for it.

But Netflix doesn't care about perfect. They care about what performs in the first three days of release. And when you're making decisions based on predictive algorithms rather than creative vision, you end up with a graveyard full of what-might-have-beens.

The rights are available again, at least. Maybe a studio that actually finishes what it starts will take a crack at Redwall. Just don't hold your breath.