Legendary Snaps Up Harry Potter Fan-Fic Turned Novel in Seven-Figure Deal

Legendary has acquired the movie rights to Alchemised, a dark fantasy novel by SenLinYu, in a deal that sources say could be one of the largest ever for a new book, not adjusted for inflation.

Reports indicate the deal exceeded $3 million, and it was made as a preemptive move to keep other studios from competing. Legendary has not commented on the terms of the acquisition.

The studio is coming off a strong period, including a three-year output deal with Paramount and the success of The Minecraft Movie, which earned nearly a billion dollars.

SenLinYu, who uses they/them pronouns, shared their excitement about the project. “I’m honored by Legendary’s incredible enthusiasm for the project and can’t wait to see the world of Paladia come to life,” they said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

SenLinYu is well-known in the Harry Potter fan fiction community, particularly for works in the Dramione subgenre, which explores a romance between Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy.

Their 2023 novel Manacled, a dark fantasy blending Harry Potter and The Handmaid’s Tale, was read more than 10 million times on AO3 and earned over 100,000 five-star ratings on Goodreads. SenLinYu has also written Star Wars fan fiction pairing Ben Solo and Rey, and their collected works have been downloaded more than 20 million times and translated into 23 languages.

According to sources, Alchemised began as Dramione fan fiction before becoming an original dark romantasy. The story follows Helen Marino, an alchemist and healer, who must recover forgotten memories while facing dangers in a world filled with necromancers and corrupt guild families.

The book jacket teases, “Helena’s fight – to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self – is just beginning. For her prison and captor have secrets of their own…secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost.”

The book will be published by Del Rey, a division of Penguin Random House, on September 23. The first printing will be 750,000 copies, with translations planned in 21 languages. The novel has already drawn attention from major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, TODAY, Bustle, and Business Insider.

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