Another successful fantasy series is getting the TV adaptation treatment. Deadline reports that Radar Pictures has acquired the small-screen rights for author Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar universe, with plans to develop a TV show from the long-running series of fantasy books.
The first season will be adapted from Lackey's Last Herald-Mage trilogy, which consists of Magic's Pawn, Magic's Price, and Magic's Promise, and revolves around the character of Vanyel Ashkevron, the main protagonist and heir to his family's Valdemaran estate who chafes under the restrictions set by his father but ultimately becomes one of the most powerful Herald-Mages Valdemar has ever known.
Radar Pictures is founded by Interscope Records co-founder Ted Field, who currently serves as an executive producer on Amazon Studios' upcoming adaptation of The Wheel of Time and will executive produce the Valdemar TV show. Kit Williamson, creator of Netflix's EastSiders, will adapt alongside author Brittany Cavallaro, best known for her Charlotte Holmes novel series. Anthony Tringali, Maria Frisk, and Michael Napoliello will produce through Radar Pictures.
In a provided statement, Lackey said, "I have hoped for decades that The Last Herald-Mage would be adapted for television. Now that Radar has optioned the trilogy, I am nearly breathless with excitement. I could not have chosen a better organization to take my work in hand, and Kit and Bri, the producers, absolutely know both their stuff and the material. I love the fact that this is going to be a longform series: episodic TV gives the story all the room it needs. I hope our fans will be as thrilled to see their favorite characters come to life as I am."
"Vanyel in The Last Herald Mage series was one of the first gay characters I encountered, and as a recently out 16-year-old I can’t stress enough the impact that these books had on me. The Valdemar series was far ahead of its time in the portrayal of LGBTQ characters, and Lackey’s writing afforded them a level of depth and complexity that is still very rare, especially in genre storytelling," said Williamson.
"It’s an absolute dream to be adapting the Valdemar books alongside Radar Pictures and Kit Williamson. Twenty years ago, Kit and I became friends at boarding school, and bonded over our love for Mercedes Lackey's work, and we’re so excited to begin the process of bringing it to the screen," Cavallaro said.
The Valdemar TV series becomes the latest in a group of fantasy novels to be adapted for the small screen, including Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses, which Ronald D. Moore will be developing for Hulu; the aforementioned Wheel of Time at Amazon, which was recently renewed for a second season before the first even premiered; Netflix's Shadow and Bone adaptation from Leigh Bardugo's novels, also renewed for Season 2; and of course, Amazon's upcoming Lord of the Rings series, which just released a first teaser image earlier this week.
No premiere date or platform news for the Valdemar series has yet been announced, so stay tuned to Collider for that and even more info as this adaptation moves forward.