Filming has just begun on a new Lord of the Rings movie, titled The Hunt for Gollum. It will be the first of two upcoming motion pictures based on Tolkien’s work, with another, a project backed by Stephen Colbert, set to enter production soon.
There has been something of an explosion in other media releases of Tolkien’s work, arguably caused by the massive success of Peter Jackson’s movies in the early 2000s. We’ve seen numerous video games, additional movies, such as The War of the Rohirrim, and, of course, the hugely ambitious Amazon Prime television series.
It is certainly not uncommon for successful fantasy books to appear in other media formats. For example, we have seen the success of the Game of Thrones television series. Popular books may pop up in video gaming, or even branded casino online slots, too. But there are many epic series that feel relatively untouched, and perhaps it would be interesting to see them developed for new audiences.
Of course, it’s not always easy, nor is success guaranteed. For example, the Wheel of Time books were recently adapted for Amazon Prime Video, but while the series had some ardent fans before it was eventually canceled, it was viewed as an expensive flop.
But which other books deserve a turn on the small or big screen? Let’s look at some that seem particularly underexposed:
Riftwar Cycle – Raymond E Feist
It is a series with as much lore and depth as Tolkien, spanning around 30 books and hundreds of years of action set in Feist’s world of Midkemia. Two video games were released in the 1990s based on a couple of shorter Midkemia novels, but there is scope for something much greater. Feist’s official communications often suggest he is locked in negotiations with TV companies, and fan sites are always rife with speculation. It would, however, take a big financial commitment to do it properly; such is the scope of the stories.
Drenai Series – David Gemmell
Gemmell was something of an oddity as a fantasy writer. He tended to drop readers in at the end of a saga rather than patiently build it from scratch. Nevertheless, Gemmell has loads of standalone books that would make incredible movies, TV series or video games. He worked in both his own fantasy worlds, such as in the Drenai series, or with our own mythology, such as the Arthurian-based Last Sword of Power. There are loads of wonderful options.
The Belgariad – David Eddings
To be fair, the writings of David Eddings – who often collaborated with his wife Leigh – tend to split opinion between fantasy fans, with some believing his stories were much too repetitive and predictable. Nevertheless, Eddings has plenty of fans, and his Belgariad series, which follows the adventures of Belgarion as his feet are put on a path of prophecy to kill a god, would make an interesting television series.
The Sword of Truth – Terry Goodkind
Another controversial one here, because some people really dislike Goodkind, particularly his seeming reverence for the teachings of Ayn Rand. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that Goodkind made some unique and compelling high fantasy, particularly the early novels of the long-running Sword of Truth series. That series did tail off toward the end, but the early ones could make some satisfying movies. Note that a Sword of Truth TV series – Legend of the Seeker – was made, but it was low-budget stuff.
The Wheel of Time – Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson
Yes, we mentioned earlier that Amazon’s big-budget Wheel of Time series was a flop, but it is such a pity that one of the most popular fantasy book series ever has not got the big screen treatment it deserves. It is an epic tale, started by Jordan and then completed masterfully by Sanderson after the latter’s death. The Wheel of Time (TV) series wasn’t perfect, but there are large numbers of fans wishing that Amazon would do a U-turn.