The Letter for the King has already been made into a movie - in the book's native Netherlands in 2008.

A Netflix series based on a much-loved Dutch book will be filmed in New Zealand later this year.



The global streaming service has announced that it has greenlit an English-language adaptation of Tonke Dragt's coming-of-age medieval adventure The Letter for the King, with production getting underway on our shores before the end of 2018.

How to Train Your Dragon screenwriter Will Davies will adapt the multi-award-winning book, alongside Saving Mr Banks' Paul Trijbits.

The story of teenage squire Tiuri, who embarks on a perilous mission to deliver a missive to the rule of the kingdom, the book has sold more than a million copies worldwide and been translated into 25 languages, including English in 2014.

Netflix will film an English-language, TV adaptation of beloved Dutch novel The Letter for the King in New Zealand later this year.

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Compared by some reviewers to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Letter for the King has already been adapted into a 2008 movie in its native Netherlands.

The book won the Griffel der Griffels for Best Children's Book of All Time in 2004 and is a beloved part of Dutch culture.

Tonke Dragt's The Letter for the King has been published in 25 languages and sold more than a million copies worldwide since it was first published in 1962.

New Zealand is becoming an increasing popular destination for Netflix-backed productions. Last year, The New Legends of Monkey was filmed at Auckland's Kumeu Film Studios, while 2016's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sequel Sword of Destiny was partly filmed in various North Island locations.

Both Netflix and the New Zealand Film Commission have been approached for further comment about this latest project.