Alibaba Pictures has inked a deal to acquire film rights to popular children's book series "Warriors," which talks about the story of four clans of warring feral cats.

The agreement, signed with Coolabi Group and its subsidiary Working Partners, adds yet another feather in Alibaba Picture's cap, which is making huge inroad in the global movie industry.

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The series, which was first published in the US in 2003, has sold over 30 million copies globally. It revolves around Rusty, who befriends wild cats in a mysterious forest. It also follows the journey of Rusty before becoming the leader of ThunderClan.

Alibaba Pictures president Zhang Wei said the company will develop the book series into a film franchise.

He shared that they intend to use world-class visual effects in bringing the storyline to life.

To strengthen its film division, Alibaba entered recently into a deal with Steven Spielberg, where it acquired minority stake in his company, Amblin Partners.

Under this deal, Alibaba will co-produce and finance films aimed at Chinese and global audiences. The company did not disclose, though, the financial details of the deal.

Alibaba has alredy invested in various prominent projects, such as "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation," "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows" and "Star Trek Beyond."

Warriors is written by Erin Hunger, a pen name for a team of writers comprising of Cherith Baldry, Kate Cary and Victoria Holmes.

The book series is licensed in 35 languages and HarperCollins plans to publish eight new titles over the course of coming two years.

TagsAlibaba, HarperCollins, Steven Spielberg