Tracy Deonn’s Arthurian fantasy is about to leap off the page. Deadline reports that Black Bear Television has acquired the rights to Legendborn, the first book in the Legendborn Cycle. Felicia D. Henderson, a co-executive producer and writer on The Punisher, will write the adaptation (and produce the series).
It’s not Henderson’s first time around the YA block; she also wrote and executive produced Gossip Girl, and is currently the showrunner for First Kill, the upcoming Netflix series based on V.E. Schwab’s short story.
Legendborn is the story of Bree Matthews, who discovers a hidden supernatural world after her mother dies in an accident. The more she learns—about the mages called “Merlins,” and about the secret society of students called “Legendborn”—the more she begins to doubt the official story of what happened to her mother.
Alex Brown wrote in a glowing review, “Legendborn is an intoxicating mix of Southern Black traditions, the King Arthur mythos, and teenage melodrama. Tracy Deonn delves into age-old tropes and twists them into something bigger and better.”
Deonn shared her excitement on Twitter:
Buy the Book
Legendborn
Bree's world, my dreams…let's go!
I've imagined a television adaptation of LEGENDBORN since before it was published, and I am thrilled to be working with @blackbearpics and @FeliciaDHen1 as we take the steps to make the dream a reality. This is just the beginning. 💙⚔️❤️ pic.twitter.com/fS9kMQjsDm
— Tracy Deonn – Updates Only (@tracydeonn) February 2, 2022
Legendborn was a New York Times bestseller when it was published in 2020; the second book in the trilogy, Bloodmarked, is coming this November. No network is attached to the adaptation yet, but fingers crossed this one makes it to the screen!
