Update:
Jacqueline Carey has responded to the news on Twitter, announcing that “what we’re working toward is a series on Starz,” with the project not yet in the development stage.
Thank you so VERY much to everyone for the excitement! What we're working toward is a series on Starz. And I think that would be totally awesome! but we haven't even entered the development stage so don't plan on setting your VCR just yet.
— Jacqueline Carey (@JCareyAuthor) October 18, 2019
Original article:
Kushiel’s Legacy fans, rejoice! The Publishers Marketplace newsletter has announced that the rights for all nine (yes, you’re reading that correctly!) books in Jacqueline Carey’s three-trilogy epic have been sold to Lionsgate. But there’s an open question as to whether this means a Kushiel’s Dart film or a more involved, perhaps Outlander-esque, TV series. Or both?
According to the listing, Dan Hadl, the studio’s Executive Vice President of Television Business Affairs, will serve as producer.
Although the deal was filed under the “Film” category, it’s not clear whether the adaptation will ultimately end up as a movie, TV show, or both. Nine epic books with a story spanning more than a century is a Star Wars or Lord of the Rings-esque undertaking. In addition, the Kushiel book series deals with eroticism and the balance between sex and power with a depth that would almost certainly call for an R rating, whereas television would allow far more flexibility.
And considering all the upcoming fantasy adaptations competing to fill our Game of Thrones-shaped void, like Amazon Prime’s The Wheel of Time, Netflix’s Shadow and Bone, and BBC’s The Watch, it would make a lot more sense if Lionsgate threw an adaptation in the ring, as well.
The author Jacqueline Carey thought so, too, back in 2014. In an update on her website, Carey wrote:
“After having watched three seasons of Game of Thrones (I don’t have HBO, so I catch up by binge-watching DVDs), I will say this. I now believe that Kushiel’s Legacy could be made into a pretty damn awesome series, one that gets the delicious nuance of the intrigue, the epic scope of the plot(s), the pageantry of the battles, and that confronts the erotic aspect head-on.”
As for casting choices, Carey suggested “wildly talented unknowns” (as the Game of Thrones cast largely were before the show began) in the key roles, with Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany as Phèdre.
No word yet on a cast, crew, or a production start date for this possible adaptation. In the meantime, check out our re-read of the Phèdre Trilogy, as well as our primer to the world of Kushiel’s Legacy.
I never expected this to actually happen. I worry that an adaption would either be too sexy, or not sexy enough. GoT felt far too pornographic at times with sex just for the sake of people tuning in to see boobies and soft-core action. While sex and eroticism are firmly at the core of Kushiel, the book series is so much more than that even during the sex scenes.
If it’s TV, where will it air? If this isn’t BDSM porn done right, they’re doing a disservice to the source material, so it needs to not be subject to “standards and practices” types.
TV show, 18+ rating. Too much happens for it to be compressed to a movie.
I just wonder how will audiences (TV or movie) deal with the way Terre D’Ange deals with Abrahamic religion. I mean, all religions are true in the Kushiel series. But once you deal with the Fantasy Jews all having accepted Yeshua bin Yossef as their Maschiach and the Fantasy French all being descended from Fallen Angels and the Fantasy Ethiopian Jews all thinking they had been cursed… I mean, this could ellicit outrage from real life groups once they start to watch it.
Honestly, I really enjoyed the first trilogy and the second was adequate. But this would be horrible for TV. There is no network that could handle the multitude of issues – sexual, religious, political. It would incite violence in much of the US and probably other places world wide. And that, i fear, would be the positive reaction. Better it stays on the page instead.
I adore these books. This is a tough choice though. The epic scale of the books makes me think series. So much attention is always on the sex (which is of course a major part of them) but its not the only consideration. I’ve always felt it would need to be something like a GoT scale of series to pull these books off and do them justice.
I absolutely vote for TV. Maslany would be great is Phedre.
I think a TV series would definitely work better for this and they should get Christy Carew to score it! Would be perfection.
While I love the books and all their nuance and characterisation, I do not think they could get the story (any of the stories) into anything even vaguely resembling something for mass consumption. They had the same issue with the Pern novels by McCaffrey: optioned waaaay back in the 90s, never made it to screen because they simply couldn’t work out how to tie a dozen different characters in a dozen different books into a single cohesive story.
Plus, medieval fantasy war (with sex) is one thing, but a society where female sexuality is free and open and respected? In our societies that are increasingly becoming governed by conservative political parties? Not gonna happen.
And that’s not even addressing the religious/spiritual aspects of the stories…
@sue First line…. Jacqueline Carey has responded to the news on Twitter, announcing that “what we’re working toward is a series on Starz,”
I don’t know why there are so many people going “oh, but the topics will never be acceptable…” I really feel that (as usual) you are only considering the US – if it could be made by a UK film company, there would be no problems. The US still has a deeply puritanical heart
There is already a soundtrack in fact, by a legit movie composer: https://spoti.fi/2JkLccC . Jacqueline Carey herself has approved it and the songs are perfect! Seriously, I can’t say more good things about it and the composer, Christy Carew. I really hope that Lionsgate uses her for the musical scores, or at least the major ones.
This will be a true challenge to do well. But I agree with JC, after seeing GOT, it realizes hope it will be done well. My husband and I just finished binge watching the superb pirate series “Black Sails”, on “Starz”. It was gorgeous and quite erotically charged. I fervently hope they do the Kushiel series, justice. It will lend itself so beautifully to the screen if done well. There is so much possibility
The Masques, the Night Court… glittering… so sensual so mysterious and decadent, the towering scope of the saga…oh this is a series that if done well could put GOT to shame for sheer beauty and world building…I can just imagine the vivid high fantasy surrounding Rahab’s curse! That will be absolutely stunning. OH ode to Joie,lol.
The sheer ferocity and breadth of the battles …the intrigue. The layers and layers of delicious mystery, fantastic adventure and intrigue. I hope they nail it with the casting. The characters are so richly developed, so evocative. It will be a real task to find a strong Joscelin. Melisande will be an interesting challenge. So sensual, yet so unreadable. She is such a nuanced character, it could be difficult to play her well. There are so many characters I loved in the series…Hyacinthe! Favrielle…Thelesis… far too many to recount. Opulent, exciting and deeply moving… I am beyond thrilled that this gorgeous, darkly magical series will be brought to life onscreen. I also hope they cast relatively unknown actors as they did with GOT. I concur with JC on this entirely. I cannot wait!
How do you portray melisandre part on TV when so much of her plots and persona are presented through the perceptions of the other characters in the books? I hope lipnsgate can do justice to the depth of these fascinating tales and not give us just 3minute sound bites of the issues these stories explore.