Deadline has just announced that 20th Century Fox has optioned the television rights to Patrick Rothfuss’ epic fantasy trilogy The Kingkiller Chronicles to develop into an ongoing series. Eric Heisserer (Hours, The Thing) is attached to adapt the series as its executive producer.
The show will begin with the events of The Name of the Wind and follow through the other two books in the trilogy. No word yet on how the show will otherwise be structured, or if they will incorporate aspects of Rothfuss’ planned works after the Kingkiller trilogy.
Curious about the world (worlds?) of Kvothe? Visit our extremely detailed Patrick Rothfuss reread, curated by Jo Walton.
Well, that is interesting and cool (potentially).
I wonder what channel they’re aiming at… Fox itself, FX, or selling it to a other network or more premium cable channel…
I don’t know about this. There may be a spark of excitement in me but mostly there’s just apprehension. Rothfuss’s work is beautiful and incredibly complex and it’s hard for me to imagine Fox pulling it off and not turning it into something very cheesy and dissapointing.
Hopefully if it made it to a TV series (since they’ve only optioned the rights thus far), it will be more like Game of Thrones and less like the laughable Legend of the Seeker series.
Be more like Game of Thrones and less like Wizard’s First Rule!
I hope Tor didn’t just ruin Pat’s big news for wOOtstock…
Either, way I’m hoping it turns out well!
I actually believe this is doomed to failure.
Rothfuss’ success hinges on his lyrical writing style. It is beautiful and poetic in the ways of Vance or Ashton Smith. That is why his books are so beloved. This will not translate to television at all.
Rothfuss is much less in control of his plot. The Draccus section kills the plot momentum of Name of the Wind. And The Wise Man’s Fear has very little forward plot momentum when you compare it to the first book and consider how far we have to go to reach modern day Kvothe. And these are the issues upon which the show will be judged.
Sharon C- Legend of the Seeker was exactly the sort of thing I was thinking of when I made my comment. I’d hate to see Kvothe’s story end up like that.
I think Walker makes a lot of good points to about the challenges of adapting this to television or film. I think you’d have to make A LOT of changes to make it work and I’m not sure you’d be able to keep the original spirit of it with all the changes that would be necessary.
Don’t freakin trust Fox! Look what they did to Firefly. Selling out, Pat. Selling out big time.
I have no faith in network TV, but I’d love to see what FX could do with a fantasy series.
I’m scared. Why hasn’t Pat said anything about this? I feel it is unlike him to okay this.
He shoulda held out for HBO, Fox will just drop it half a season in and hold the rights for years
Oh no! Hoping they haven’t spoiled his big reveal. So much trepidation…
This won’t end well, assuming it ever begins.
I really hope this is a cash grab and FOX is looking to flip the rights for a profit. First, I don’t want them to have it. Second, I don’t want a tv series to be even remotely possible before the trilogy is published. I love both formats of GOT but the theoretial effect on works being written is impossible to quantify.
@12
He may not have a say.
I share the excitement and apprehension. I also second everything Walker wrote above.
Yes, Legend of the seeker does not compare one bit to Game of thrones…but I enjoyed killing time with LOTS and anyhow anticipate the Kingkiller Chronicles on TV
#9: What Fox did was actually commission (and then take to series) Firefly: think what other network would actually have done that? Fox gets a hard rep’, but it was for a long time the most consistent provider of genre television on the networks (from the X-files onwards).
Talk to me when they’ve got something to show me.
From the Random Vault of Randomness –
I was just thinking earlier today that I’d like to see a recap of the first two books done in the style of Supernatural with Carry On Wayward Son playing over it. I guess the Angels of fortune must have been smiling on my random thought and are making it possible to exist after all. Thankyou forces of fate.
The quality of the series won’t matter that much when it gets condensed down to a few minutes of recap.
Still, getting a TV series made just to get me a few snippets of footage for an idle (if slightly cool) whim is probably overkill.
No No No No No!
I REALY hope this doesnt turn out like game of thornes and for all you saying you do hope it turns out like game of thrones, have you read Martins books? That series is a joke!
Anyway I truely hope what ever they do with this series reflects the hard work and talent of Mr Rothfuss. I really do! And I sincerly hope Rothfuss plays a major part in the making / directing etc of it, so that the series stays true to the books as much as possible and doesn’t turn into something completely different, as happened with game of thrones.
I also hope this is just a rumor, as others have said this seams very uncharactoristic of Pat to do, and I doubt he would be in any sort of contract that would force him to do such things as he didnt want to do.
But all I can say at the minute is Oh dear! :(
I really wish, hope and pray Im wrong
As Mordicai said at 19, don’t get too worked up until something real happens. An option just means that have the right to try, not that they will. Options expire, etc.
Also, it is Pat’s story. He can sell it or not sell it to whomever he pleases or does not please.
Love the books and will watch the series, if its turns out poor you know what I’ll do, turn it off.
Whiney little sods, you enjoyed the books, then reread them, if a tv series captures more of an audience or makes Pat some money, whats it to you???
It wont change the first two books as they are now sat in your home and it wont effect the 3rd book.
DONT LIKE DONT WATCH
Remember Firefly!
ooooooooh this really worries me. My all-time favourite story on network tv? Hacked to pieces, poorly acted with awful special FX… Possibly…
I’m scared. 3 movies would have been a much better idea. :(
I’m tnativly excied about this. As others have said there is allways the possibility that it will not come to fruition.
However I feel that thee books are very much suited to crossing media to a TV series. The books are very episodic. The scenes are tight and mostly initmate, a lt of the dialogue is already set out in the manner of a play, scenes set, and sets used. Magic is becoing increasing popular, as is dystopias. And the frame certainly adds that element, reinforced by certain events and juxtaosed with the wealth and luxory of Imre/Maers court. Rothfuss’ style, use of symbolism, could well be translated visually.
And the music. A soundtrack.
I suppose it would be too much t hope they would not be afriad of a little avant gaurde with Faen and Naming…
@26 (A Fox)
The books are very episodic.
Wise Man’s Fear is episodic. Name of the Wind has a very strong (and traditional coming of age) arc until the Draccus section. The change in style and focus is quite jarring. It will be very noticeable in a TV show which does not have Rothfuss’ language to fall back on.
a lt of the dialogue is already set out in the manner of a play
Rothfuss’ dialogue is solid, but it is nowhere near as strong as his command of language. It is not going to sound anywhere near powerful enough without the surrounding narrative. It will sound like average fantasy stuff.
Look, I am not against making this TV show, but the key thing to understand about Rothfuss is this: he understands the strengths that writing has over other mediums and uses those very heavily. This series is the very definition of “unadaptable”.
I think what I’d be most apprehensive about is the music honestly. I mean, it’s gonna have to be GOOD. Not just like, mediocre music that goes at a fast pace when it’s supposed to be hard. it’s gonna have to be pretty damn amazing to do the books justice. So much of who Kvothe is comes across in how he plays the lute. But hey, I’ve wanted this to be a possibility for so long now, I can’t wait to see how it turns out! If it sucks, hey you know. They gave it a shot. But methinks there’s a chance it could be real good.
It’s a guarantee they’ll ruin it. They’ll spoil the poetry. Rothfuss is a poet; just read one chapter and you’ll understand why. Rhymes aren’t everything, but I have never read a book with so many….
I just hope they don’t ruin it too badly; I wanna see the Cthaeh, Felurian, Bast, and the scrael! They’ll probably ruin how Kvothe/Kote is portrayed though.
Great news, even if it doesn’t live up to expectations. I am glad that his work is recognized. Congratulations to Mr. Rothfuss, this is the type of attention that keeps good fiction a thing.
Walker@27:The first part of “The Name of the Wind” seems traditional at first. There are underlying layers that extend to the wider world that make it more than that. Those layers would indeed be difficult to correctly realize in film.
Ok… Not entirely sure I’m happy about it but… as far as casting goes, I think there should be a lot of unknowns or semi-known actors. with a few exceptions.
I think Hugo Weaving would make a fantastic Alveron (Though he could work well for Master Lorren, too.
https://www.google.com/search?q=images+Hugo+Weaving.&rlz=1C1CHVN_enUS519US519&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=OpjGUYT7Cofu9ASTpYCICA&ved=0CCwQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=681
Cillian Murphey as Bast
http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Cillian-Murphy/
And if he’s not available, then Colin Morgan for Bast
http://www.hypable.com/2013/02/07/merlin-actor-colin-morgan-returning-to-the-stage-in-the-tempest/
Walker@27 & stevenhalter@31
They’re both plenty episodic, as if that were a bad thing.. I’m increasingly dismayed that the longer, better, more beautiful book is consistently dismissed. Any change in style in focus evident in the inferior text as text will be buffed out in a script and probably offset by the installment format.
thistlepong@33:Yes, exactly. That would be my fear also. On the other hand, there is always the very small chance that it could be wonderful.
I hope to god they dont make it into another Zena like TV show. Was beyond disapointed in The Sword of Truth series.
stevenhalter @22 – Thank you for inserting a moment of sanity and logic.
As a longtime reader of Pat’s blog and having heard him talk about a TV show multiple times, I feel like he has some angles going his way here, otherwise he never would have okayed this. He’s said many times that his dream was an HBO-type series, and that he is very protective and cautionary about his work. I just don’t see him going along with this unless he had some assurances, or something. I’ll wait for more news; Pat will most likely put up a blog about it very soon.
Wish it was HBO instead of Fox….
HBO gathered casting ideas from the fans for Game of Thrones – and now we have over 100 posted casts for Name of the Wind, including a posted cast from Patrick. Come take a look, and then post YOUR cast!
http://www.storycasting.com/work.aspx?id=7b62aec2-02a1-4c7d-88cd-2678f23fa9b1
I just have to say, as someone who has never read a series of comments on tor.com, I am stunned.
Comment sections are for vapidity and name calling. This place is filled with legitimate insight and astute observations. And politeness.
It’s confusing me, and forcing me to imagine what the rest of the internet would feel like, if it all looked like this.
One thing that I haven’t seen mentioned is how are they going to portray the characters? There are scenes of young kids out drinking and carousing all night at a bar. Kvothe chases Felurian when he is what…14…15? How are they going to bring these very adult behaviors to the screen?
I know there are shows that deal with things like this but not many in the U.S. (that I know of…I watch very little TV).
@40
That made me laugh. Civility on the internet is such a rare thing anymore.
As Mordicai @@@@@ 19 suggested, this is hardly a case of “is coming to television”, at least not yet. “Optioned” means that some money will probably be allocated to pay for one or more scripts, but it’s still quite possible (indeed, more likely than not) that it won’t go any further than that.
The King Killer Chronicles is tied only to to Star Wars as my all-time favorite stories. I am really excited that Patrick is finding more success and he’s being more exposed, but everyone knows that Fox likes to destroy all the good that’s left in the world.
I have a bad feeling about this.
Its simple really, the more control and involvement Patrick Rothfuss has in the creation of the show, the better it will be. If he has none it will be a terrible.
I don’t think the Kingkiller Chronicles can possibly be filmed. It literally will not even resemble the books. It can’t. Rothfuss spends hours agonising over whether a particular word has exactly the right nuance he’s trying to convey and it shows, and that’s lost outside in a movie or show, on top of what’s lost (the narrator/any non dialogue or internal monologue text) in any adaptation of a book. What makes the Kingkiller Chronicles special is Patrick’s amazing prose. TV can’t adapt that.
Besides which, the series spends a lot of time in Kvothe’s head, and internal monologues don’t tend to translate well to film. I also don’t think TV audiences will enjoy the importance music plays in the series (to be honest, I don’t enjoy it in the books, and they’re my favourite series!), nor know what’s going on in Kvothe’s head, barring some awful Scrubs-like internal monologuing.
It can’t be done. I can’t imagine anyone enjoying this show. Non-readers who’ve come to appreciate TV adaptations of more adult fantasy novels won’t enjoy it for the second set of reasons and fans of the book won’t enjoy it for the first. I don’t know who this is for.
I believe this can be done right, and with PR’s close oversight it will be hard pressed to be done poorly. I also don’t think the narrative style of the show will resemble anything close to the books, because single person narrative is not en vogue with TV. People want lots of characters and sub-plots not necessarily involoving the hero. That being said: unleash the fantasy cast!
Kvothe: I think you have to go unknown here, so many options exist. I present, Ian Belcher.
Denna: Despite just being arrested, I think she hits all the right notes. Emma Roberts.
Bast: Dean Geyer.
Ambrose: Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Chronicler: Bruce Greenwood.
Simmon: A steal from GOT. Thomas Brodie-Sangster.
Wil: Jacob Artist.
Fela: The beauty of Girls fame, Allison Williams.
Devi: A serious long-shot with virtually no chance of ever happening, Emma Watson.
Kilvin: Laurence Fishburn with a beard and 40 extra pounds.
Elodin: Barring Johnny Depp’s unlikely involovement, Alan Tudyk.
Lorren: Hugo Weaving.
Auri: Playing basically the same character she portrayed in Harry Potter, Evanna Lynch.
Elxa Dal – Robert Carlyle.
Excited to see it. If I don’t like it, I will turn it off like the rest of you and go read the books again. Let’s chill with the, “this is going to suck no matter what” talk…
Well, if fans are willing to sink the show when the rights are acquired, I suppose the naysayers can’t lose. GG y’all. You’re providing the market research to chill the project right now ;)
stevenhalter@34
I didn’t intend to imply any fear whatsoever. Give me (us) any number of episodes and I (we) could easily find natural episode breaks precisely because of Pat’s revision process.
I’m feeling pretty lonely as a draccus-section proponent, but I can see how it’s a bummer for folks grooving on wizard school. What I meant to convey was that a retelling presents the opportunity for positive revision. For fixin’ anything needs fixed, as it were.
Better yet, in the visual medium the need for tedious explanation of that particular transition disappears. Kvothe is running for his life and hears about a massacre. Getting the hasmata outta Dodge and a thresd of the mystery? Tune in next week.
Do I think the epizeuxis at the beginning of every chapter, the solid rings in WMF, or the literary alchemy is gonna be preserved? Nope. But who noticed it anyway? The lyrical poesy folks feel but can’t articulate won’t and arguably doesn’t make a whit of difference in another medium.
To the extent that we get anything it’s always already quantitatively different from the text. I choose to believe or hope or whatever that that difference can and will be enjoyable.
AMC could really use a fantasy series.
thistlepong@48:Yes, I think we are agreeing.
If done well (and we would hope that Pat&agent wrote the contract to help in that direction) the show could very much add to the books. One example that could go very well and expand on the books is the music. The music seems like a huge opportunity to do something really well.
The right team could do wonders and really highlight a number of things.
One thing we’ve talked about in the reread threads is that Denna could really be having her own hero’s journey that we only get to see bits of in the books. This could really be shown to good advantage in an expanded series.
So many opportunities.
Ahahahaha…i can’t wait to see what they do with book 2’s sexytimes.
I hate to think of Thistlepong feeling lonely, so let me say that I love the Draccus section of The Name of The Wind, and wouldn’t have it any other way.
I don’t think it would translate well, but if worst comes to worst we can just not watch it. A Doors of Stone will no doubt be published long before any show appears.
Everybody scoffed at a television adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Fire and Ice” – and yet the HBO adaptation – Game of Thrones – is starting its 4th season. The people who say it can’t be done should get out of the way of the people who are doing it.
@54
I question that narrative.
Fox? Oh Dear God.
@55 – WallaceForman – Not sure what is being questioned. I’m a newbie here, and since I own a website dedicated to book-as-movie fantasy-casting, I’m sure my motives are suspect. But I don’t think it’s categorically impossible to make good book adaptations, just not as common or likely as many of use would wish. I loved the Sword of Truth books, but was pained by the TV series. HBO got the Game of Thrones right, so it is demonstrably do-able. I recall some purists lamenting the absence of Tom Bombadil in LOTR, but then I tend to see adaptations as versions of the main story and not as abominiations. No one knows how much was cut from the original story by Tolkein himself, so that a Bombadil-less LOTR is not, to me, grievously flawed, just another plausible way to tell the story. If the TV version of Patrick’s work doesn’t have every leaf from every tree, I will not feel cheated.
Going to the source for a moment, go ahead and read:
blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2012/02/concerning-hobbits-love-and-movie-adaptations/
The gist being:
in particular, the line:
So, Pat is well aware of the dangers posed in movie adaptions.
@57
I recall lots of enthusiasm, sometimes cautious, among GOT fans from at least the moment it was announced that HBO was considering a series, GRRM’s prior comment that the story was too large for adaptation notwithstanding.
I don’t remember any enthusiasm for Legends of the Seeker, but I wasn’t really following that story. If people were skeptical about that show, they were certainly right to be.
stevenhalter@58
Must we bring up his angel in the centerfold again? Wouldn’t it be more sensible to wayback the belief.net bit where he explains why Tom Bombadil’s important or something? You know, demonstrate the kind of care he’s talking about, the type of story he values, rather than repeating a fraught analogy?
As for the rest of this, I’m enjoying being contralily positve. Carry on.
thistlepong@60:I’m just pointing out his awareness of the issues. The quotes leave no doubt as to that. Whatever direction the story of the possible show takes, will have begun with a conscious step.
Please, do feel free to expand upon other value statements regarding the content valued by PR.
Hmmm, interesting news. ::cautiously optimistic:: I’ll echo thistle and steven and say that it could be really good, and open parts of the story to expansion, revision, or more development.
For example, I really like steven’s idea @50 that we could see Denna’s version of events along side Kvothe’s. Assuming that we get some resolution or answers to Denna’s role in D3, then we could see some events from Denna’s pov. That could be… wow.
Regardless, whatever they do will require the right team, all around, in order to do it right. And no matter what, it won’t quite match my visualization of the scenes/characters/music/etc., which (even if it’s done well) is always a bit of a dissapointment in any tv/movie adaptation. But that is just par for the course.
If Pat gets any input into who should work on this, his choice of producer/director would seem to obviously be Josh Whedon.
Good Luck with that. Patrick writes a book every 4 years. I would think you would need someone a little more prolific than that to base a tv series on.
I have a great book by Stephen King wherein he comments on the movies made from his books. If any author can tell you about adaptations good or bad, he can. Although it’s clear that some were jewels and some were junk, he seems reasonably philosophical about some of the schlock pieces. Nobody knows where this is going to end up, but I’m certainly voting for the attempt. I also found this little collection of examples where the movie was better than the book –
http://styleblazer.com/156188/the-book-was-not-better-15-movie-adaptations-that-outdid-their-source-material/
Jeff @65 — interesting to note that many of the movies on the “the book was not better” list are also on the “film adaptations hated by the original authors” list. And often for the same reasons on both lists.
I’m not entirely sure what to make of that…
please please please don’t suck
Pat mentioned on Facebook that he’d be writing a blog with more details about this.
He’s likely to explain why he doesn’t think it will suck.
If they mess it up 0_0………. If they do a good job :D time will tell. I for one am looking forward to finding out.
@48 thistlepong
Good point. Someone could be doing market research on this thread. In that spirit:
Dear Fox,
We really want to like this. There is a lot of skepticism. Some of it has precedence. Just a few notes on what matters to me as a fan of this series.
Story- You’ve already got it. It’s great. Get Pat involved as much as possible. Get writers from non-genre shows to do his legwork for him. This is a drama where some fantastic stuff happens, not a fantasy show.
Casting- Please, please, please weigh acting ability much heavier than name recognition or even physical likeness to the character. Go ahead and blow about half of what you thought you needed for SFX on this, but not just because they’re already famous.
SFX- You got lucky here. Until the draccus, there is very little of this needed, compared to much of the genre. There are all kinds of existing locations that will work great, we don’t need a CGI Tarbean or University. Blue flame can be made, rather than rendered digitally. As mentioned, scratch half of the stunning visuals and get a cast and director who are dedicated to the story.
Production- Take your time. Do more in pre, less in post. Revise your scripts and storyboards like Pat revises the books. Make every shot and every scene count. Film the whole season before you release an episode. We’ll wait.
That’s it. I hope you make this because you love it, not because you want a built-in audience. The ratings will be there, if you’re not flippant about slapping NOTW or Kingkiller on a b-list star’s comeback show just because you bought the rights. If you love it, we’ll love it. We’ll freaking Simpsons love it. Heck, we’ll bring it back from the dead Family Guy love it. But you gotta respect us enough to believe we can tell the difference when you don’t.
Thanks.
@Lauranimal 32. Both your choices for Bast would be brialliant, but I can’t see Hugo Weaving as anything other than an Elf (and yes, that’s MY problem) ;-). For Alveron, I keep imagining Hugh Bonneville (
http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Henry_Avery), and Jenna Louise Coleman as Denna (
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/doctor-who-will-be-different-when-new-companion-1303875). (Yes, I’m a Doctor Who fan)
Jorgybear@71
Love your choice for Denna! Hugh would be great as Alveron, but I might be just a little too old (at least for how I’ve imagine the Maer to be.)
I like Hugo Weaving because he’s so flexible. He’s played so many parts that people don’teven recognise him in. I have trouble seeing him as anything other than Mr. Smith in the Matrix, but I was going through images of him… and he truly is a chameleon and a pretty fantastic actor.
Fingers crossed that the TV production will turn out to be something really beautiful in it’s own right… even if can’t be anywhere as amazing as the books!
Meanwhile… I think I’ve found the man to write the music that Kvothe plays! http://estastonne.bandcamp.com/track/cosmic-fairytale
I highly recommend earphones to listen to this phenominal virtuoso.
Ugh Fox, while this is a dream ciming true, I see this becoming more Legend of the Seeker or Mortal Kombat Konquest. Bleh,
You got my hopes up for a book 3 being out already. PATRICK YOU WRITE SLOW!!! *shakes fist*
It’s like tantric reading.
It should be against the law to start filming any show until the series is finished! Finish writing first, gammit dumby!
Now that is plain scary. There will be by necessity so much lost in translation. *sigh* Maybe this will mean we will get new installments of Kvother faster ? Silver lining anyone?
I`m really afraid that Fox will ruin it.
Legend of the Seeker, anyone?
it doesn’t matter how bad the show is. the words in the book will not change.
Why would you let Fox option it? They have a horrible track record at this.
@79
I. Heart. This.
Its not possible for a tv show to “ruin” a good book. They are not making a book. They are making a TV show. Its not even going to be the same story. That’s just not how TV works. It will share some character names and some plot lines, but not all of either. Some character traits will be shared, but not all of those either. It will be a different story in a different medium. You may not like it at all, you may love it even better than the book that shares some similarities. Either way, it won’t change how great the book is.
I’m more interested in how the plan to adapt it. Keep the frame story? Discard it? One would think they would either have to discard it entirely or change it so that it is an older Kvothe than the Innkeeper. Each has its strneghts and weaknesses.
In the old Kvothe scenario, you can keep some narration, which is convenient for info dumps, Plus, you’d get to have an actor read some of the beautiful language that Rothsfuss is laying down.
The weakness is, of course, you lose the conciet that events could soon catch up to the frame story and Kvothe could be killed in the frame.
Without the Frame story, this book loses a lot of what sets it above the 10,000 trope filled stories that came before it. You also lose Bast until the 3rd or 4th season.
I’m just not how you work the frame story into a TV show. Have two different actors? That could actually work, expecially if some of what has been theorized regarding Qvothe turns out to be true.
How the show, assuming one ever materializes, handles that will be the most interesting part of the adaptation for me.
anthonypero@82, folks are making a big deal about needing two actors for narrative-Kvothe and frame-Kvothe. While I can understand wanting a child for the Abenthy scenes, most of the story takes place whike he’s 15-25. Television routinely casts golks in their twenties to play teenagers. Simple makeup choices make a huge difference. They’ll use a single actor.
The problem with the frame story is ageing. Lets assume they want the show to go on for a number of years, lets say 5 to 7. Most networks won’t invest in something that doesn’t have that kind of potential.
You would need an actor in at LEAST in his 30s to be remotely believable stretching 3 DAYS into 5 to 7 YEARS. So, a 25 year old playing a 15 year old? That does happen. But a 35 year old? Better find an Elf.
Fair enough. But aging a teenager is even easier, particularly if you add a big ol’ beard like Nate did om his summary comic. It’s not a big deal. /shrug
@The Yllist:
“Simmon: A steal from GOT. Thomas Brodie-Sangster.”
Love your call on Sangster, but as Kvothe not Simmon. I think he could pull off the subtleties and range K goes through. Definitely my first pick.
As a kind of lark, how about Daniel Radcliff for Willem? :)It could work…
He’s too, how do I put this, white to play Wil.
lol. Yeah a wee bit.
I hope that they do not do an American stlye, drawn out, serialisation but rather something more like Sherlock. Fewer eps, but longer… adapting the already existing narrative structure.
And as for ageing…Amelia Pond. Rock star style. Thats a non-issue with the right actor.
I actually watched a film recently (British) that I cannot remember the name of ::extreme annoyance:: but the nature of it immediately summoned K & D’s relationship. Edinburgh, red haired guy with a guitar meets polish girl with a beautiful voice, they hire a couple of buskers and make an album. The music is beautiful. Visually tender tones. Anyone else seen it?
Ash @88 — are you thinking of Once with Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova?
Yes, lol, i had just found it and was about to edit…Cheers. I missed the begining…and, er, apparently the setting. The music caught me :)
@thistlepong
“He’s too, how do I put this, white to play Wil.”
Ooops, meant to say Simmon, as a replacement for taking Yllist’s suggestion for Qvote… BFH (Brain Farts Happen)
Three notes: 1) this is a very good thing for Patrick, and well-deserved. An option means money, period, and it also means higher visibility for the books. Please see John Scalzi’s blog entry about novels being “ruined.”
2) Very glad it’s TV and not film. To fit into film, this *would* have to be butchered. TV, you could take at least ten hours (a season) to do book 1, which is more in line with the time it would take.
3) Important note from someone who’s a semi-pro (some paid writing gigs, not full-time) in the industry:
20th Century Fox is *not* the same thing as FOX, the TV network. They’re owned by the same company. But if 20th Century Fox commits to production, it can sell the series to any network.
Casting is fun, but more important is who ends up being showrunner and whether it ends up at a sympathetic network. Obviously, this should be cable/premium, not one of the big four.
FX’s John Landegraf is fantastic–among other things, he kept the very low-rated “Terriers” on the air for a full season (no other exec would’ve done that, trust me) and originated the Louis C.K. deal. Starz would also be a good choice–they need a high-profile critically acclaimed series, and they know how to market and sell smart fantasy. Showtime would be great if they’re willing to take on a not-developed-in-house project. Netflix would be great if they can afford it.
AMC would be disastrous for a number of reasons, mostly that they don’t trust their showrunners. Having bad blood w/ Matt Weiner is one thing, having it with the treats-everyone-with-respect Vince Gilligan is something entirely different (firing Glen Mazzarra falls into same category.) SyFy doesn’t seem to have an interest in doing smart stuff like this anymore.
Kilvin- Jeff Bridge
Elodin- Johnny Depp/Robert Downey/Heath Ledger
Abenthy- Russel Crowe/ Nicolas Cage (Nicolas really likes fantasy series, books & movies, so I think he would accept the offer)
Denna- Anna Hatheway
Skorpi- Morgan Freeman:)
Elxa Dal- Joel Edgerton
Ambrosius- Casey Affleck
Will- Joseph Gordon
The Maer- Christoph Waltz
Bast- Dean Geyer
Fela- Olivia Wilde
Felurian- Liv Tyler
Hemme- Jeffrey Jones
That casting made me want to cry a little. The opposite please. Like actual musicians, martial arts experts. ;)
You, er, may also want to adjust your Elodin list.
Had problems with this series. First off, someone who ended up on the streets like he did would be well aware of the power and influence of the wealthy, so then he goes to the school and mindlessly makes an enemy of one of the most wealthy and powerful people. dumb and naive and i dont see a street smart kid doing that.
at one point, he gets beat up by soldiers in his tavern because his magic doesnt work because he doesnt believe in himself any more??
I have a problem with his dedication, or lack thereof, to learn all the different types of magic and accumulating all the knowledge he can so that he has a chance at destroying those things who wiped out his troupe and parents. for supposedly being dedicated, he screws off too much, especially considering the background he came from. if he was some naive cake from their version of the suburbs i can see that, but from a wiped out troupe/family, to poverty and street survival, to the school, i dont see him acting the way he acted.
magic. he impresses the outliers in the small towns but so far he really doesnt know much does he and we are a couple thousand pages in. expected more from a story about a individual from such a horrific, haunted past who goes to a magical learning institution.
but yes i see why people enjoy it so much, its well written, witty, interesting characters and world building, especially if one is more geared towards the “arts”, but from the way the book was intimated, i am not seeing it carry through.
A Fox@94, maybe Sucuk is suggesting a radical reinterpretation. Something along the lines of a mash-up between Bamboozled and Weekend at Bernies with Jeff Bridges and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in blackface wheeling Heath Ledger around on a dolly? I don’t fancy that, myself.
A.Fox@94:
I don’t know, having a dead actor is no more impossible for a TV series than the rest of those mega star movie actors in the prime of their careers ;)
*snorts whisky over keyboard*
…
*feels guilty*
My God, if these Fox idiots don’t get the right actor in Kvothe I’ll forever picture some lame in my head. If Patrick doesn’t get to do anything else with the series, he must be allowed to choose who plays Kvothe!! And that douchecanoe on youtube…CAN NEVER EVER BE FREAKING KVOTHE…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YoyfeTvFP4..
I wanted to see it as a TV series than a movie…there’s so much in the book that I would have absolutely hated a 2 hr movie
@93 I think Megan Fox is a better Fela. I do love Olivia Wilde but I think she’d be a better Denna. Emily Ratajkowski as Felurian hands down (if she can vaguely act). I like Casey Affleck as Ambrose ’cause he plays a deuche really well and Johnny Depp as Elodin is a no brainer.
For Kvothe I think people put too much stock in red hair. Why not find a bad*ss actor and CG some red hair on him? (comment slightly edited by moderator; see our Moderation Policy here)
Please let it be HBO to make this series. I don’t trust any other TV channel. And please don’t take famous actors for it.
Don’t worry, if its a TV show, they won’t be able to AFFORD famous actors. At least not more than one.
I guess it could be done as a cartoon i dont think fox has had a
successful show that wasnt a cartoon in decades.
@eahlbeck:
You would have to define “successful” very narrowly for that to be true. As in “Successful = I liked it” narrow.