If you thought there would be a break in your fantasy entertainment with ‘Game of Thrones’ going off the air you should think again as Showtime has just announced that they’ll be handling the televised end of “The Kingkiller Chronicles“. Much as ‘The Dark Tower’ and Marvel’s Cinematic Universe has tried to do int he past, the idea here is to take a property and blend it into a joint televised and cinematic experience. Only, this time they’re taking it up a notch and adding in an interactive gaming experience as well. Hopefully, this one will turn out better than the first example and stay connected, unlike the second.
All aspects of the franchise are set to be based on the bestselling novels by Patrick Rothfuss with Lionsgate tackling the television series and tapping Lin-Manuel Miranda as the Executive Producer. Not only that, but a showrunner has already been found in John Rogers (‘Leverage’, ‘The Player’) who will also serve as an Executive Producer. Joining them will be Rothfuss, Robert Lawrence (‘Clueless’,’Die Hard with a Vengeance’) and Jennifer Court (‘The Player’). Miranda is delving further into the production as well since he is set to score the series. He was already on board as the Creative Producer for the series since it was announced last year and now the extent which he’ll be interacting with the television side of the franchise shows how much creative control he’ll have.
The series is set in the world of Temerant where we follow two traveling performers as they wander the land and get into unique adventures. In it, we’ll meet unlikely heroes who must battle “terrifying dark forces.” The novels have sold over 10 million copies and have been translated into 35 languages so the story, if done right, could easily find a global audience already waiting to see it go into production. No casting announcements have been made at this time.
According to Miranda:
“Showtime has always championed bold storytelling. Pat Rothfuss’ Kingkiller series is some of the most exciting storytelling I have ever read. I could not be more thrilled to help bring the sights and sounds of his wondrous world of Temerant to the screen.”
Showtime Networks’ President of Programming’s Gary Levine chimed in:
“The Kingkiller Chronicle moves Showtime into a new genre in a powerful and unique way, led by the talented Lin-Manuel Miranda and John Rogers. We can’t wait for this talented team to harness the magic of Kingkiller to transport us all into an awesome new world.”
Finally, we also heard from Lionsgate Television Group Chairman Kevin Beggs who added:
“The Kingkiller Chronicle is one of the most coveted properties in the world, and we’re thrilled to partner with a brilliant creator in Pat Rothfuss, a creative genius in Lin-Manuel Miranda and a renowned showrunner in John Rogers. With Showtime as our network partner, we continue to assemble a world-class team for our Kingkiller franchise.”
This is a franchise which could be made into something amazing though it is still too early to tell how it will play out on the big and small screen. We’ve seen a lot of attempts at shared universes like this and not much in the way of true successes even though Marvel Studios was close before they and Marvel TV couldn’t agree on how to stay connected.
Are you looking forward to checking out “The Kingkiller Chronicles”? Are you more interested in the cinematic adaptation or televised prequel? Share your thoughts below!
Source: Deadline
