Earthsea TV Series On the Way
It looks like Ged may be on his way back to the screen. Deadline reports that A24 and producer Jennifer Fox are developing a series adaptation of the Earthsea novels written by legendary fantasy author Ursula K. Le Guin, who had given her blessing to Fox to adapt the books prior to her passing last year. The stories of Earthsea, which Le Guin wrote from 1978 to 2018, focus on the inhabitants of a mythical archipelago, and are being shopped around Tinseltown, so hopefully, we will have word on where this exciting project will land soon. One of the great things about the golden age of television is the fact that projects that seemingly didn’t work in the past are being attempted again, and Earthsea is a great example of that.
In 2006, Gorō Miyazaki, son of famed director Hayao Miyazaki, directed an anime version called Tales From Earthsea that was derided by fans and the author herself. Then in 2004, the Sci-Fi Channel (as it was then spelled) produced a miniseries starring several Smallville alumni both big and small, with Shawn Ashmore playing Ged and Kristen Kreuk playing Tener; even Chris Gauthier, who played the Toyman on the young Superman series, appeared as Ged’s best friend Vetch. While I liked this version (mainly because of the Smallville connections and the presence of Danny Glover), I understood why many people didn’t, so I’m glad the fans will have a chance to see a more faithful adaptation this time around. In addition, judging by Deadline’s piece, this is a true passion project for Fox, so here’s hoping everything comes together for this project, and a whole new generation will be introduced to Le Guin’s works.
Are you excited that Earthsea will finally be done justice onscreen? Who do you want to see play these iconic characters? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned to Geeks + Gamers for more movie and TV news!
