A24 developing fantasy TV series based on Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Fans of Ursula K. Le Guin's "Earthsea" fantasy series will be pleased to know that A24, the distribution/production company behind EX MACHINA, ROOM, THE WITCH, HEREDITARY, MIDSOMMAR, and more, will be developing a TV series based on the novels along with Oscar-nominated producer Jennifer Fox (NIGHTCRAWLER).

Per Deadline, Ursula K. Le Guin gave Jennifer Fox her blessing to adapt Earthsea into a series of films before she passed away last year, but it seems that the project has now been re-envisioned as a TV series. Earthsea is comprised of five novels as well as a handful of short stories which are set in a dense archipelago of hundreds of islands where magic is very real and the misuse of it can upset the delicate balance of existence. "Ursula Le Guin is a literary legend with a huge fan base and her work has been translated into practically every written language on the globe," said Fox in a statement. "She is second only to Tolkien in influence in this genre and before she died last year, she agreed to put her most beloved work in my hands. This project is, therefore, a sacred trust and priority for me as well as an opportunity to create an iconic piece of American culture." Theo Downes-Le Guin, son of Ursula K. Le Guin, added:

Ursula long hoped to see an adaptation of Earthsea that represented a collaboration between her ideas and words, and the visual storytelling of others. I feel very fortunate that, with Jennifer Fox and A24, we have a bedrock of producing and development experience that can bring the sweeping narrative and moral truths of my mother’s work to screen.

Jennifer Fox and A24 will be shopping the Earthsea series to networks soon. The fantasy series has been adapted several times before, including an animated film from Studio Ghibli, TALES FROM EARTHSEA, as well as a Sci-Fi Channel mini-series starring Shawn Ashmore, Kristin Kreuk, Danny Glover, and Isabella Rossellini which wasn't received all that well. Finger's crossed that the second attempt comes out better.