We've got some truly awesome news for Indie comic book fans today, as its been announced that writer and artist Faith Erin Hicks' graphic novel trilogy THE NAMELESS CITY is lining up to be adapted for the small screen, courtesy of Frederator Studios! So far as we know, the three books will be broken up into 12 half-hour lone episodes, with each graphic novel being translated into four episodes each, the first batch (consisting of four episodes) will happen in the Fall of 2018.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the series, here is a synopsis for the first volume:
Every nation that invades the City gives it a new name. But before long, new invaders arrive and the City changes hands once again. The natives don't let themselves get caught up in the unending wars. To them, their home is the Nameless City, and those who try to name it are forever outsiders.
Kaidu is one such outsider. He's a Dao born and bred–a member of the latest occupying nation. Rat is a native of the Nameless City. At first, she hates Kai for everything he stands for, but his love of his new home may be the one thing that can bring these two unlikely friends together. Let's hope so, because the fate of the Nameless City rests in their hands.
In talking to Entertianment Weekly about the deal, Hicks remarked that, "It's exciting and a little scary. It's my first time having a 'Hollywood deal'. I always envisioned The Nameless City as a comic. It was always supposed to be a comic and it was super cool when Frederator approached me about partnering to make this thing happen. It’s a nice bonus."
Later in the interview, Hicks elaborated on a few of her inspirations for the storytelling and art of THE NAMELESS CITY by saying, "I have a bunch. There are definitely three main ones. These are basically my favorite stories that other people have created. I’m a huge nerdy fan of Bone by Jeff Smith. It’s just a wonderful fantasy adventure about these little creatures and this little world that they live in. That was one of the first comics that I read as an adult and it was just very influential.
Another influence is a manga series, Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa. It’s so cool that this awesome, badass series that has amazing fight scenes and loveable characters that you root for is written and drawn by a woman. And of course, there’s Avatar: The Last Airbender by Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino and all of the Avatar crewthat created that series over the years, was a huge influence as well. That series definitely caused me to be more interested in Chinese history and start to actually study this country and this time particular period."
In speaking about his excitement for the series, Vice President of Development at Frederator Studios Eric Homan said, "Frederator Studios’ cartoon philosophy for nearly twenty years is to support the vision of creators with distinctive points of views. Faith’s wonderful storytelling is just one of the reasons we’re fortunate to be part of this project. We’re eager to follow her creative lead on The Nameless City."
Having read the debut installment of the series myself, I can tell you first-hand that this is truly something to be excited about. Fans of Nickelodeon's AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER will no doubt warm to the rich, busy and colorful world created by Hicks in which THE NAMELESS CITY takes place. It's also worth noting that the series main characters, Kai and Rat, are bursting with personality and share a unique chemistry with one another that help to drive the mythos of this wonderful story forward. The second book of the series, The Stone Heart, is due to hit book and comic shops on April 4th, 2017.
Be sure to look for more details and updates regarding THE NAMELESS CITY as they roll out. You can expect the first episodes to appear on the small screen (a distributor has yet to be named at this time) some time in the Fall of 2018.