After helping to bring "Harry Potter" franchise and its spinoff "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" to theaters, producer David Heyman's next bit of magic may involve warring clans of cats.

The Associated Press reports Heyman has signed on with China’s Alibaba Pictures Group to adapt "Warriors," the sprawling series of fantasy novels by Erin Hunter (the collective pseudonym of Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, Tui Sutherland and Victoria Holmes). Mixed into the books, which have grown to include sub-series, novellas and manga, are stories of adventure, love and of course the fight between good and evil.

Heyman said at a news conference in Beijing that the film will be live-action, and likely in 3D, with computer-generated cats.

Although he characterized some films produced jointly by China and the West as "forced ...s omething that is just done because you want Chinese money," Heyman said "Warriors" is deal for such a collaboration, because it's "such a perfect Chinese-British story," with "universal" values.

Heyman is, of course, a movie veteran, with credits that include "Harry Potter," "Paddington" and "Gravity." However, Alibiba's foray into filmmaking dates back only to 2014; its first feature, "The Ferryman," will premiere next month. The studio company has had its share of Hollywood success, though, as it has invested in films like “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation” and “Star Trek Beyond," and it will also partner with Amblin Partners to create movies for global audiences.