The Jim Henson Company has optioned The Witchlands books, written by best-selling author Susan Dennard, to be developed as a live-action television series.
The surprise announcement was made today by Halle Stanford, President of Television for The Jim Henson Company at a Dragon Con panel led by Dennard and Stanford entitled Two Misfits Who Dream: Women Who Create Fantasy Worlds.
The series is set in a world where three empires rule and every member of the population is born with a magical skill set, known as a “witchery”. Now, as the Twenty-Year Truce in a centuries-long war is about to come to an end, the balance of power will fall on the shoulders of two young women Safiya and Iseult, who must accept their fate, and themselves, to survive.
Published by Tor Books, with two of the books and a spinoff already on the shelves, the third release in the series, Bloodwitch, is set for February 2019.
“The Witchlands features a world of magic and astonishing characters that our Creature Shop can sink its teeth into and bring to life in an exciting and fresh way,” said Stanford. “These books fulfill our desire to dive deep into a high fantasy world a la Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones, where the women are the heroes and the world itself is seen through a feminine lens.”
Dennard said: “I’m so thrilled that The Witchlands is in the hands of such a dynamic and creative company as The Jim Henson Company. This is a literal dream come true, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with to bring the world, characters, magic, and creatures to life!”
Lisa Henson, CEO and President of The Jim Henson Company and Stanford will serve as executive producers for the project. Susan Dennard will serve as co-executive producer. The Emmy Award-winning Jim Henson’s Creature Shop will create the creature characters for the series.
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