Lemony Snicket’s popular children’s book series A Series of Unfortunate Events will be adapted into an original television series, Netflix announced on Wednesday.

The 13-book series follows orphaned siblings Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire as they stumble through a world of mystery and misfortune. Netflix acquired the rights and the show will be produced in association with Paramount Television, which made the 2004 film adaptation. Snicket, the pen name of American writer Daniel Handler, will be an executive producer.

“I can’t believe it,” Snicket said. “After years of providing top-quality entertainment on demand, Netflix is risking its reputation and its success by associating itself with my dismaying and upsetting books.”

The beloved series was published from 1999 to 2006 and more than 60m copies of the books have sold worldwide. The 2004 film starring Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep took in $200m.

“On the search for fantastic material that appeals to both parents and kids, the first stop for generations of readers is A Series of Unfortunate Events. We are proud to start work on a series for a global audience that already loves the books,” Cindy Holland, vice-president of original content for Netflix, said in a statement. “The world created by Lemony Snicket is unique, darkly funny and relatable. We can’t wait to bring it to life for Netflix members.”

This is the latest in Netflix’s original programming conquests, which have included dozens of projects including original series like the Emmy-award winning Orange is the New Black, documentaries and stand-up comedy specials.

Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos spoke about the streaming service’s approach to movies during the US/China Film Summit on Wednesday. “We need to stop distinguishing the experience by access,” he said. “Many movies are just as good, if not better, at home.”