BBC Studios and Narrativia are teaming up to bring Terry Pratchett’s Discworld to television, starting with a six-part series titled The Watch.
Deadline has reported that after plentiful rumors, Discworld will undergo a brand new adaptation for the small screen, produced by BBC Studios and Narrativia, the production company founded by Pratchett and currently run by his daughter Rhianna and business partner Rob Wilkins. Simon Allen (Strike Back, The Musketeers) is writing the series under the working title of The Watch.
This should excite Discworld fans, particularly those who are fond of Sam Vimes and the City Watch. It’s likely that the series will center around Ankh-Morpork’s police, which would be an excellent way of introducing new fans to the Disc and all its denizens. This is just a preliminary piece of news, with no actors or dates set for the production, but it’s good to know that we can expect more Discworld in our futures.
To paraphrase the late Sir Terry, I’ll believe it when I’m sitting on my sofa watching it. An adaptation of the AM City Watch books has been announced before, more than once.
This could be SO GOOD if done right. The Watch books are my favorite Discworld novels, and I love Vimes. Plus he has a great character arc that could go throughout multiple seasons if they wanted to. That said, getting a good actor for Vimes would be very important for something like this, someone who could really sell his growth and progress.
This has the potential to be TOTALLY AWESOME or TOTALLY CRAPPY. *crosses fingers*
This makes me inordinately happy. I hope it comes to fruition. The City Watch are my favorite of the Discworld subseries.
PLEASE oh PLEASE, let it be for real this time! I think that it is, as a recent BBC survey they sent out was inquiring about interest in Discworld…
Please be good, please be good, please be good. No grimdark. No “reinterpretation”. No taking a dump all over Terry Pratchett’s masterpiece.
Tom Hopper for Carrot?
Jim Carter for Vimes, please.
He may be a little mature, but Darren Boyd is tall enough, has the right physique, red hair AND acting chops for Carrot.
“Coming to television” doesn’t mean what it used to. Any word on HOW this will be available to US viewers?
So, a few seasons of the watch, a few seasons of death, a few seasons of luggage, a few seasons of witches, etc., etc., etc?
#8, Jim Carter for Vimes. YES. Darren Boyd has the right look, but he is way mature for the role. I like Tom Hopper for it.
I’d love it Very Much if they brought Charles Dance back for Vetinari. He *nailed* that role in “Hogfather”
This if it goes ahead will be top of my to watch pile :) My only fear is that the previous TV adaptations have not necessarily been that good, but I have a lot of trust in the BBC when it comes to doing things properly* especially if Rhianna Pratchett is directly involved and able to oversee the project properly.
The Watch books have always been some of my favourite Discworld novels, in part because the ever increasing number of members of wildly different backgrounds and personalities who are often a cross between an (often bickering but caring) family and The Bill, I often think that Reg Shoe is at least partly based on Reg Hollis (the Paul Kidby illustrations even have more than a passing resemblance to Hollis).
*The Sky productions have varied in quality a lot, and much as I like David Jason he didn’t strike me as Rincewind.
@9 If it does well then I’m sure it’ll be on BBC America, or possibly they’ll partner with HBO or another US channel.
Otherwise I hear there’s ways to watch all sorts of things if one doesn’t mind hoisting the Jolly Roger, as it were..