Sonnenfeld has been hired to helm the small-screen adaptation of the 13 best-selling novels by Daniel Handler, who often writes under his pen name Lemony Snicket.
Former "True Blood" showrunner Mark Hudis is additionally tapped to serve as showrunner for the Netflix series, Variety reported.
Hudis and Sonnenfeld will also executive produce the show along with the books author, Handler, for Paramount Television.
"A Series of Unfortunate Events" revolves around three orphaned kids, Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, who face trials and tribulations at the hands of the evil Count Olaf, a distant uncle, as they try to uncover the secret of their parents' death.
Netflix said in November that the series would have multi-generational appeal to kids and parents. No cast or release date is announced for the project just yet.