‘The Kingkiller Chronicle’ Lands at Showtime – Is This Their ‘Game of Thrones’?

It’s been nearly a year since we heard that Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda was involved with The Kingkiller Chronicle, a fantasy book series written by author Patrick Rothfuss. Info has been scarce, but the floodgates have now opened: Showtime has officially scooped up a television adaptation, which Miranda will executive produce and for which he’ll compose music. Plus, a showrunner has been announced. Get all the latest news about The Kingkiller Chronicle Showtime series below.

According to a press release, John Rogers (Leverage, The Player) will serve as the showrunner for the series, which is being referred to as “a subversive origin story of legendary proportions set a generation before the events of the trilogy’s first novel, The Name of the Wind.”

Set in the world of the wildly popular fantasy series by Rothfuss, THE KINGKILLER CHRONICLE will follow a pair of wandering performers on their adventures through the unique and startling world of Temerant, immersing audiences in a universe of unexpected heroes, mystical places, and terrifying dark forces. It is a world that has delighted readers and critics alike, selling more than 10 million copies in 35 languages across the globe.

The book series tells the story of Kvothe, a musician and adventurer who is orphaned at a young age and eventually learns the arts of magic, survival, acting, swordsmanship, and more. I haven’t read the books, but since this is set a generation before the events of the first novel, I imagine that character won’t factor in very much, if at all. But this line from the press release reminds me of news we heard about years ago:

The Kingkiller Chronicle is a collaborative franchise from Lionsgate that includes a television series adaptation, a major feature film and interactive games all being developed concurrently.

So maybe Kvothe’s story is being held for Lionsgate’s movie. And video games set in that world seem to hold a ton of potential.

In any case: a television show set in the world of a popular fantasy book series? Sounds an awful lot like Showtime is making a play for their own version of Game of Thrones, and with that show on its way out at HBO, I’m sure Showtime is hoping to use Miranda’s well-respected name to draw some of the Thrones audience’s attention their way.

Showtime made a fascinating creative decision by allowing David Lynch the freedom to make 18 hours of Twin Peaks for them, but that didn’t translate to high viewer numbers. And sure, they have a few shows like Homeland and Shameless that I occasionally see people still talk about, but let’s face it: they could use a mega-hit, and The Kingkiller Chronicle might be exactly what they’re looking for. The fact that they’ve acquired this property has me excited because we at least know there’s a baseline level of quality it’ll achieve, instead of it ending up on a network like Syfy (who has done some great stuff, but is far more hit-or-miss overall).

“Showtime has always championed bold storytelling,” said Lin-Manuel Miranda. “Pat Rothruss’ 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.”

Rogers, Miranda, Rothfuss, Robert Lawrence (Clueless, Die Hard with a Vengeance), and Jennifer Court (The Player) will produce the show, which doesn’t have a release date yet. We’ll be sure to keep you posted with more as soon as we hear it.

The post ‘The Kingkiller Chronicle’ Lands at Showtime – Is This Their ‘Game of Thrones’? appeared first on /Film.

from /Film http://ift.tt/2gEXEp3