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Since The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter grabbed everyone's attention early in the 21st century, the fantasy genre has enjoyed popularity both at the theaters and on television. It is a genre that probes and sparks the imagination like no other.
Numerous book series have made it to either the big screen or the small screen, and in some cases, both. While the The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter led the way, they were followed by Game of Thrones, The Witcher, Shadow and Bone, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Wheel of Time, among others.
Still, there are many other fantastic book series yet to be adapted. Some have already been attempted but the timing wasn't right, or the production wasn't what it could have been, or for whatever reasons, they just failed. There are a few that are worthy of another try. Others deserve their first chance. Let's celebrate them here:
1. The Belgariad by David Eddings and Leigh Eddings
The Belgariad would make a terrific series for a number of reasons. While it is a five-book series, the books are not fearsomely long. The material could be covered in a tidy three-season series, maybe 24 episodes.
There also two prequels — Belgareth the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress — that would serve as background material for the series. They could be easily blended into a live-action project to help audiences get familiar with the Eddings' world.
As with many fantasy series, The Belgariad is about a quest, with strong characters, interesting locales, and crises that test the heroes and move the story forward. The characters are searching for an ancient magical talisman that an evil god wants to use to rule the world.
While the plot isn't particularly unique, the characters are people audiences will connect with. There is humor to be enjoyed as well, something many fantasy shows lack.
The Eddings' have sold more than 18 million copies of The Belgariad so there is a large audience built in waiting for an adaptation. It would be a worthy project.
For our next choice, let's look at a more contemporary fantasy author:
2. The Reckoners by Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson is one of today's most prolific and imaginative fantasy writers. Best known for finishing The Wheel of Time series upon author Robert Jordan's death, Sanderson is an incredible writer in his own right who doesn't always write the same kind of story. While he has written epic classic fantasy, he's also done books set in the modern world, including his Reckoners series. It takes place in a world a few years after an event caused some humans to develop superpowers.
With powers came corruption, and the world ends up ruled by these new super-beings. The good news is these tyrants are secretly battled by the Reckoners, who want to restore a better life for mankind.
Reckoners is a three-book series, and unlike many of Sanderson's weighty tomes, these books are more easily digested. There is a lot of action and a collection of deep-but-flawed characters. It is probably closer to The Boys than DC Comics or Marvel, but Reckoners is not a copy or knock-off of either, but it's own unique story set in its own unique world.
Sanderson has created a world and characters that should appeal to a large audience. With the weight of his name, this series should have a big following.
The following series deserves a second chance:
3. The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind
In the late 2000s, an attempt to bring this marvelous, dark series to TV resulted in 44 episodes of a show called Legend of the Seeker, but it was aired via syndication so it was hard to find. The acting and writing didn't quite do the material justice either, as the show didn't follow the original story very closely.
The main Sword of Truth story spans 15 books and features a handful of strong, heroic, magical lead characters in a unique world. While there is a lot of content to sort through, there are parts of the series that, while terrific on the page, could be compressed or eliminated on the screen without changing the overall narrative very much.
The series has sold over 26 million copies so the audience for The Sword of Truth is gigantic. It also includes a love story for the ages and would appeal to a wide variety of audiences.
The commitment to tell this story completely and correctly could be too much to ask. But The Wheel of Time has shown there is a way to condense a lengthy book series in a thoughtful way. A similar procuess would need to be undertaken here, and the results would be well worth the time and money.
The next selection has a big built-in audience:
4. The Legend of Drizzt by R.A. Salvatore for Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms world has given fans many memorable characters, but the dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden is the best, and gives TV producers plenty of material to play with. Drizzt is the featured character in 13 books, broken down into trilogies and four-book series.
The story of this show could probably be told in four 10-ten episode seasons or five eight-episode seasons, so the time commitment isn't as lengthy as something more epic. There are other stories from this world to be told if producers wanted to keep a TV adaptation going.
The audience here is incredible. The Legend of Drizzt has sold over 35 million copies, and let's not forget that the Forgetten Realms world is the setting for the popular video game Baldur's Gate. The video game Baldur's Gate 3 has sold over 22 million copies, bringing a multi-generational audience with it.
Done correctly, this series could be as big as it gets. Its incredible hero and familiar fantasy setting could bring in millions of viewers.
Here are some more Tales that need to be told:
5. Tales of Mithgar by Dennis L. McKeirnan
This is an unusual entry on this list because although there are 17 books that take place in the world of Mithgar, most of them are standalone novels. The common thread is the world, not a specific set of characters set going on an adventure at a specific moment in time. Outside of one trilogy and a couple of two-book sets, these stories take place on different points on a timeline that covers thousands of years. To turn these books into a series might appeal to studios because they could pick and choose which books to feature without a long-term commitment to a single, lengthy storyline.
The three multi-book sets are maybe the most interesting stories, but there are many worthy of adaptation. Most could be told in shorter six-episode seasons, although the stories in those multi-book sets probably should be told over the course of eight or 10 episodes.
McKeirnan is very much a classic fantasy writer, with all the Tolkienian creatures like elves, dwarves, mages, trolls, orcs, goblins, and other magical entities present, as well a some dragons. He also uses a familiar setting, as maps of Mithgar bare close resemblance to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Northern Africa with some slight geographical alterations.
The flexibility of shorter seasons and the ability to pick and choose which stories to tell might make this an appealing project for a smaller studio to pursue. Fans will be grateful.
Next up, who wouldn't love a wizard detective?
6. The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
This would be the second attempt to adapt this series for TV. The first happened 17 years ago, when there were only six books to work with. Now there are 17 books with a fleshed-out storyline and well-developed characters. When a TV series was first attempted, the producers' hearts were probably in the right place but the timing wasn't quite right.
The world is now ready for Harry Dresden. Think of a cross between Bosch and Harry Potter on steroids, and you'll know vaguely what to expect, although even that description doesn't do these books or their main character justice.
The series revolves around a modern-day, irreverent, funny wizard detective who lives in Chicago, fighting evil magical creatures and his own fellow wizards from time to time. Dresden is a brilliantly written, lovable curmudgeon of a wizard with a heart of gold. For adults who grew up with Harry Potter, he is a really appealing character. Lord Voldemort seems like schoolyard bully compared to some of the villains Dresden has to face.
Although there are so many books in this series, and each is an individual entity, the underlying stories tend to work over three-to-four-book arcs. It's possible to tell Dresden's whole story over maybe six seasons of TV, with multiple books being covered in 10-season episodes.
Maybe no other fantasy character is more suited for television than Harry Dresden.
Finally, one for the kids:
7. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
Percy Jackson and the Olympians proves that there is still a market for great pre-teen content that can appeal to adults. The Fablehaven series would be a terrific fit for this niche.
The setting of Fablehaven is one of a few sanctuaries for magical creatures. The main characters are young, orphaned children who are thrust into the world of magic and must learn about the world around them and the dangers outside of their sanctuary.
The lead characters are lovable and brave, the action is fact-paced and there is plenty of it. The stories, and the world where they take place, are colorful and exciting, with many of the classic fantasy elements transposed to a modern world.
With only five books, there isn't an overwhelming amount of content, and the stories could all be told in six-to-eight-episode seasons. With the right marketing, this show could find receptive fans. It is very doable from a production standpoint and the content and characters deserve a wider audience.
While all of these series would challenging to varying degrees to adapt for TV, all would have a fairly decent audience already in place. Fans would be very excited to see these shows on television. Which would you watch?
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