New ‘Earthsea’ TV Series Currently In Production
Studio A24 and the Oscar-nominated producer Jennifer Fox (Nightcrawler) are developing an Earthsea television series based on the novels by Ursula Le Guin. A24 will finance the series. Fox is also signed on to produce the series. The project is said to be “shipped to the network soon”, although no air date was confirmed.
“Ursula Le Guin is a literary legend with a huge fan base and her work has been translated into practically every written language on the globe,” Fox said. “She is second only to Tolkien in influence in this genre, and before she died last year, she agreed to put her most beloved work in my hands. This project is, therefore, a sacred trust and priority for me as well as an opportunity to create an iconic piece of American culture.”
The five-book series follows a series of islands that are upset by those who use magic to disrupt the balance of nature. Each book follows the story of a different main character, and their struggles in a world where there are people trying to unbalance nature with magic. They encounter all sorts of danger, like other wizards and evil artifacts.
In 2004, the Sci Fi Channel aired Legend of Earthsea, a three-hour telemovie loosely based on the books A Wizard of Earthsea and The Tombs of Atuan. However, Le Guin was not personally involved with the project, which met fan backlash for taking too many liberties in the adaptation. Currently, there is no word on how faithful the adaptation will be.
The book and short story series has also been adapted for both radio and anime.
