It seems that if a studio is looking to develop a sci-fi/fantasy genre film they head straight to Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. After all, the ‘Star Trek ‘ duo is writing and executive producing ‘The “Amazing Spider-Man’ sequel as well as the “re-imaging” of the film ‘Van Helsing’ and currently producing ‘Ender’s Game’. On top of that, they are overseeing the reboot of ‘The Mummy’ and have just gotten a pick up from the Fox network for their series ‘Sleepy Hollow‘. Now they have come on board as producers to bring ‘Dragonology’ to the big screen.

The book series by Dugald A. Steer was first published in 2003 and is written in faux fiction prose as the long lost works of Dr. Ernest Drake, a 19th century dragon expert, who jots down his observations and findings of the various type of dragons, how to track them, their language, etc.  The film, however, will focus on a team of dragonologists that “embark on the quest to avert a plot to use the world’s remaining dragons to wipe out humanity.”

The project was first acquired by Universal in 2008 with Leonard Hartman initially signed on to write the script. Harman will now serve as executive producer with Kurtzman and Orci overseeing the hiring of a new scribe as well as the writing of a new script.

With 12 books in the ‘Dragonology’ series, it can easily be seen that this could be a potential franchise for Universal if done properly. ‘Dragonology’ could do for dragons what ‘Jurassic Park’ did for dinosaurs.

The project is still considered in development but with the news that Kurtzman and Orci are now on board, ‘Dragonology’ is now one step closer to being in theaters.

For those who have not yet read the books, here’s a synopsis from Amazon.com:

For true believers only, a lavishly illustrated reproduction of a legendary volume by the world’s most distinguished dragonologist. Don’t let it fall into the wrong hands!

Do you believe in dragons? Now, for the first time, the long-lost research of renowned nineteenth century dragonologist Dr. Ernest Drake is presented in all its eccentric glory, happily bridging the gap between dragon legend and fact. The meticulous Dr. Drake assigns Latin names to various dragon species, ruminates on why dragons are able to speak, speculates on how they could fly, and explains the true purpose of their notorious hoarding habits. Here are just a few of DRAGONOLOGY’S fascinating features:

— Novelty item on every spread, including tactile samples of dragon wings, dragon scales, and dragon skin — Booklet of dragon riddles (indispensable to the burgeoning dragonologist) — Sealed envelope containing a powerful dragon-calling spell — Embossed faux leather cover with silver foil, encrusted with three dragon gems

In his afterword, Dr. Drake reveals that one of the crucial goals of dragonologists is to preserve the magnificent creatures of their study wherever possible – a goal this tongue-in-cheek volume most affectionately achieves. An incomparable gift for secret dragonologists everywhere!

Source: THR