The Magicians TV show is finally taking shape. Just after the third and final book in author Lev Grossman’s phenomenal The Magicians trilogy debuted atop the New York Times Bestseller list, THR reports that Another Earth and I Origins filmmaker Mike Cahill has been tapped to helm the pilot for Syfy’s TV series adaptation. Crudely described as “Harry Potter for adults”, the books revolve around a group of twentysomethings who, after graduating from a secret magician school hidden away in New York, discover that the magical fantasy world they read about as kids is real and poses a grave danger. The books—The Magicians, The Magician King, and The Magician’s Land—are tremendous, and essentially tackle the premise with a realistic “what would really happen” bent, delving deep into issues of depression, loss, love, and friendship. Seriously, I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Hit the jump for more on The Magicians TV show.
Per THR, Mike Cahill has been hired to direct The Magicians pilot with production poised to get underway this fall. Grossman has been developing an adaptation of The Magicians for years, with a Fox pilot written by X-Men: First Class scribes Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz that didn’t go forward. This Syfy iteration will be written by John McNamara (Prime Suspect) and Sera Gamble (Supernatural) with Michael London (Milk) producing.
Cahill seems like a swell fit to set the tone for the series going forward. His second feature, this summer’s I Origins, was a fantastic rumination on faith and science that managed to tackle many of the same issues that arise in The Magicians. Grossman’s book series is quite epic in scope but at the same time highly intimate, so my hope is that Cahill can maintain the fantastical sensibilities of the novel without sacrificing the intricate character development. The next step, now, is casting the all-important principal characters.
Again, I cannot recommend The Magicians enough if you haven’t read it. Take a look at the synopsis for the first book below.
Like everyone else, precocious high school senior Quentin Coldwater assumes that magic isn't real, until he finds himself admitted to a very secretive and exclusive college of magic in upstate New York. There he indulges in joys of college-friendship, love, sex, and booze- and receives a rigorous education in modern sorcery. But magic doesn't bring the happiness and adventure Quentin thought it would. After graduation, he and his friends stumble upon a secret that sets them on a remarkable journey that may just fulfill Quentin's yearning. But their journey turns out to be darker and more dangerous than they'd imagined. Psychologically piercing and dazzlingly inventive, The Magicians, the prequel to the New York Times bestselling book The Magician King and the #1 bestseller The Magician's Land, is an enthralling coming-of-age tale about magic practiced in the real world-where good and evil aren't black and white, and power comes at a terrible price. [BN.com]