Amazon’s next big television project has been announced–an adaptation of Consider Phlebas, the first novel in Iain M. Banks’s Culture series. No word on when it will premiere, but we have some details below.
Amazon Studios has acquired the rights to the book, and the Estate of Iain Banks will be serving as an Executive Producer. Plan B Entertainment will produce with Dennis Kelly (World War Z) adapting the book for film. It is the story of Horza, who is tasked by the conquering and warlike Idirans with recovering a Culture “Mind”–an A.I. that could help them wipe out the Culture. Head of Scripted Series at Amazon Studios Sharon Tal Yguado spoke of the project in a recent press release:
“The story of the Culture is so rich and captivating that for years Hollywood has been trying to bring this utopian society to life on the screen. We are honored that we have been chosen, along with Dennis Kelly and Plan B Entertainment, to make Consider Phlebas into a television series we think will be loved by fans for years to come.”
Dennis Kelly is eager to begin work on the series, stating, “Iain Banks has long been a hero of mine, and his innate warmth, humor and humanism shines through these novels. Far from being the dystopian nightmares that we are used to, Banks creates a kind of flawed paradise, a society truly worth fighting for—rather than a warning from the future, his books are a beckoning.”
For more information, head to Business Wire. Hopefully, we will be hearing more about this series soon!
I always found Willow to be kind of a by-the-numbers fantasy premise, just taking familiar tropes and dressing them up with cutting-edge production values, which pretty much sums up George Lucas’s entire filmography. Still, it was reasonably entertaining and I liked Warwick Davis in the role. Joanne Whalley was stunningly lovely in the film, and it was kind of a sweet story that she and Val Kilmer actually fell in love during the production (IIRC) and got married afterward. And it did have cutting-edge effects; it was the first film to use the digital effect we now call morphing, so early that they hadn’t even coined that name for it yet — at the time, it was called “splining,” after the mathematical principle behind the effect.
As for the series, I’m just glad that they’re finally giving Davis top billing, instead of the third billing he got in the movie despite being the lead and title character. Although I guess that was because Willow was his first non-creature movie role, after playing Wicket in Star Wars and a goblin in Labyrinth. Sort of like Christopher Reeve getting third billing in Superman behind Hackman and Brando.
@1: just taking familiar tropes Oh yes — the group I went with sat there counting the number of points lifted (tossed in?) from from other stories, mostly ancient; it was as if the team thought that pulling in enough pieces would amount to a story. I’ll wait to hear more about whether this is a rehash or worth following.
There was a sequel novel to the first Willow movie, I wonder if the new movie is based on that. I read it more than 20 years ago and don’t remember much of the plot, only that Willow had to save the grown-up baby from the first movie, who was in danger of becoming evil herself.
@3 MBrent – I have read that (trilogy) and it was decent fantasy — but it wasn’t Willow. And since Chris Claremont (of X-Men comics fame) killed off every character except Willow and Elora by the second chapter, I’ma gonna say not much related.
I’m all for it. I could use some more whimsy in my fantasy shows after all the Game of Thrones and Witcher I’ve watched (both of which I enjoyed, but whimsy is definitely not what they were going for). Of course late this summer we’ve got House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power going up against one another, so it’s probably best that Willow stays out of the fray unti November.
That looks…. inexpensive. Like a budget Shanarra.
It’s good to see Master Ufgood hale & well – not to mention good to see some other old friends still going strong – but we can tell very little else from this trailer; hopefully future previews will be more forthcoming! (Also, one can only pity the composer stepping in for the late, outstanding Mr James Horner … ).
I like the implications of “the universe seeks balance.” You can’t guarantee that the rebalancing will be in your favor. And Warwick Davis is always good.
(Ob. Star Wars: Anakin, the Chosen One, did indeed bring balance to the Force. There were effectively equal numbers of Jedi and Sith for a while there…)
I can’t recall how many times I watched Willow on VHS in the late 80’s/early 90’s. It was close to inevitable they’d try to “reboot” it now. They could do a lot worse for source material. Yeah, it’s generic, but it hails from a pre-Jackson LOTR decade, where big budget examples of the aesthetic were pretty rare, and usually commercial and critical failures. While Willow wasn’t great by any means, it has a certain homely charm. I wish the reboot well. I wouldn’t even be tempted to watch it, however, unless Val Kilmer was in it.
While I’m here: “…Willow is needed again, things are out of balance, and a lot of running and danger and fighting and maybe some smooching will be necessary to correct this.” This was the second-best line I’ve ever read on Tor.com.
@9/Skallagrimsen: “I wouldn’t even be tempted to watch it, however, unless Val Kilmer was in it.”
I read a quote from one of the producers implying that Kilmer might appear in season 2, and that the story in season 1 will have some connection to Madmartigan in an unspecified way.