According to The Hollywood Reporter, illustrator-turned-director Dave McKean will direct Varjak Paw, an adaptation of SF Said's fantasy kung fu cat series for the Jim Henson Co. McKean also will co-write the screenplay with Said.

Paw follows a Mesopotamian blue kitten who embarks on a journey to save his family and in the process discovers he is part of a mystical tradition of magical martial arts. The first book originally was published in 2003 by David Fickling Books at Random House and won the Nestle Book Prize Gold Medal.

Henson also has picked up the rights to the second book, The Outlaw Varjak Paw, with an eye toward making two films. McKean will exec produce the film with Said. Jason Lust is overseeing development for Henson.