It’s good to be the king. Well, unless you’re currently residing in Westeros, where it’s decidedly deadly to be the king. But if you’reStephen King, now’s as good a time as any to be alive. The acclaimed horror author has so many stories of his in various stages of adaptation–recently successful, ongoing, upcoming, etc.–that we’ve honestly lost count of just how many there are. Add another one to the list, a relatively rare fantasy offering from King that some folks think could be the nextGame of Thrones.
AsDeadlinereports, Hulu has won out over Apple for the rights to develop King’s fantasy tomeThe Eyes of the Dragon. The pilot episode will be written bySeth Grahame-Smith(Pride & Prejudice & Zombies), who will also take on showrunner and executive producer duties through his KatzSmith banner with partnerDavid Katzenberg;Bill Haber,Roy LeeandJon Bergare also on board as executive producers.
The fantasy story, which was first published in 1984, takes place in Delian, a fictional realm within the land of In-World, which is itself a part of All-World from King’sThe Dark Towerseries. Perennial King villain Flagg is once again plotting against the good-hearted and sowing seeds of evil in this tale, which centers on a young prince framed for the poisoning of his own father and king, and his attempts to right that wrong. Though it lacks the many houses (and novels) ofGame of Thronesand skews much younger in demographics, there’s plenty of fantasy elements here that could makeThe Eyes of the Dragona worthy standalone adaptation.
Here’s what Grahame-Smith had to say about the project:
“I am so excited to be working in the world of Stephen King with with Hulu, which has such a terrific track record with Stephen King adaptations,. The goal for this series is to feel unlike any Stephen King adaptation before, with this rich underlying source material, and the only true fantasy book he wrote that has kings and swords and princesses. We will honor the spirit of the book and the legacy.”
And here’s the official book synopsis (viaAmazon):
“Once, in a kingdom called Delain, there was a king with two sons….”
Thus begins one of the most unique tales that master storyteller Stephen King has ever written—a sprawling fantasy of dark magic and the struggle for absolute power that utterly transforms the destinies of two brothers born into royalty. Through this enthralling masterpiece of mythical adventure, intrigue, and terror, you will thrill to this unforgettable narrative filled with relentless, wicked enchantment, and the most terrible of secrets….
