EARTHSEA Is Being Developed as a TV Series Instead of Film Franchise

A good while ago, we learned that Jennifer Fox was adapting the Earthsea series of books and stories by Ursula K. Le Guin into a series of films.

Well, it looks like things have slightly changed as Deadline is now reporting that Fox and A24 are working together to adapt the five books and eight short stories into a television series. Details are still nonexistent at the moment other than the fact that Fox will produce and the series will soon be shopped to the networks.

“The series, which was first introduced in the 1960s, is comprised of five novels and eight short stories set in a fantasy archipelago of hundreds of islands, imperiled by those who use magic to gain power and upset its delicate balance. Most of its characters are people of color and the emphasis is on understanding nature and human nature, not possessing power over them.”

Fox had this to say in a statement:

“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. 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 author’s son, Theo Downes-Le Guin, added:

“Ursula long hoped to see an adaptation of Earthsea that represented a collaboration between her ideas and words and the visual storytelling of others. I feel very fortunate that, with Jennifer Fox and A24, we have a bedrock of producing and development experience that can bring the sweeping narrative and moral truths of my mother’s work to screen.”

I’m really excited for this opportunity and hope it’s better than the miniseries from 2004. What network/service would you like to see Earthsea on and do you have any thoughts for who you’d like to see star in it?