Ava DuVernay adapting fantasy series Wings of Fire for Netflix
By Ashley Hurst
Emmy Award-winning director and producer Ava DuVernay (A Wrinkle in Time, Selma) will serve as executive producer on Netflix’s upcoming animated series Wings of Fire, based on the best-selling fantasy books by Tui T. Sutherland!
Beginning in 2012, Wings of Fire is a classic children’s fantasy series in its own right. At the moment, the series has 14 million copies in print. The books tell the tale of a war between dragon tribes in the world of Pyrrhia. It is said that five young dragons, known as the “Dragonets of destiny,” will restore peace to the land. But in order to achieve peace, they must embark on a perilous quest. Things are not as easy as they may first appear.
In Netflix’s press release, Sutherland shared her excitement that her books are finally being adapted. “I am so immensely thrilled and grateful that Ava DuVernay is our Queen of Dragons (I’m pretty sure that’s the official title). Ava is someone who saves the world every day without waiting for any prophecy to tell her what to do. I hope some of my dragons grow up to be just like her!”
How many episodes of Winds of Fire will there be? When does Wings of Fire come out on Netflix?
According to Deadline, the first season of Wings of Fire will consist of 10 40-minute episodes. Currently, there is no confirmation of additional seasons, but with 20 novels and four graphic novels to draw from, there’s plenty of source material. The showrunners are Dan Milano (Glitch Techs), Christa Starr (Mystery Science Theater 3000) and Justin Ridge (Star Wars Resistance).
DuVernay explained why she is thrilled to work on this project:
"Within this epic book series from the mind of Tui Sutherland is an elegant saga filled with wisdom and wonder, exploring ideas of belonging and bias, camaraderie and community. On behalf of my colleagues Sarah Bremner and Paul Garnes of ARRAY Filmworks, we’re thrilled to partner with Netflix and Warner Bros. Animation for this dynamic adaptation where five young dragonets fulfill their destiny and show viewers how to fulfill their own."
This news comes shortly after the disappointment of Warner Bros. canceling DuVernay’s New Gods movie, based on the DC superhero comics, which she was working alongside writer Tom King. She expressed how sad she was that it ended this way on Twitter:
Netflix has been a huge player in the world of animation for years now. The streamer has nearly 100 Netflix Original anime shows in its roster, and is adding more this year. Outside anime, they’re also making an animated adaptation of Brian Jacques’ Redwall novels. The Wings of Fire series is yet another example of their commitment to animation, and brings a top-quality children’s fantasy story to our screens.
There’s no release date for Wings of Fire as of yet. It’s certainly one to look out for.
Next. Read these 15 epic fantasy series about dragons. dark
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