Since I’m not a fan of lists but can’t seem to stop myself from enumerating the best that cinema and television often have to offer, I’ll try a more scholarly approach today mostly because I’m eager to make a distinction between ‘fantasy’ and ‘epic fantasy’ on the small screen. In a previous article, I discussed some of the greatest film franchises to come out of works penned by J.R. Tolkien and Frank L. Baum, to name but two luminaries of the literary genre we know as ‘epic fantasy’.

For the silver screen, the challenge of adapting such works was gleefully accepted and—on several occasions—stupendously met by talented and insanely brave directors. But as audiences worldwide evolve, so does our appetite for the consumption of ‘epic fantasy’ in larger formats. We want more, even if we get it in an episode-per-week ratio. Give us ten seasons of this marvellously detailed worldbuilding sprinkled with gasp-inducing intrigue, and we’re yours forever. Naturally, the demand for televised ‘epic fantasy’ has grown, forcing screenwriters and showrunners to adapt.

‘THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS’ (2002), ©NEW LINE CINEMA

Personally, I don’t think it’s a bad thing, but I do believe we’re coming up short on the ‘epic fantasy’ genre on TV. There are plenty of ‘fantasy’ series to binge on—‘Charmed’ (1998-2006) and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ (1997-2003) certainly qualify as decent chunks of a starter kit. If you’re deeper into the scary side of things, the ‘American Horror Story’ (2011) anthology will deliver plenty of genuine goose-bumps and squeals. For anime fans, ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ (2005-2008) is one of the best that the genre has to offer, and let’s not forget Bryan Fuller’s earlier masterpieces, ‘Dead Like Me’ (2003-2004) and ‘Pushing Daisies’ (2007-2009), both brilliant and equally ahead of their time. Yet we haven’t gotten to the aforementioned ‘epics’!

What does make a story epic, after all? Is it the worldbuilding? For that, I’m inclined to consider ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ (1995-2001), the infinitely more successful spinoff of ‘Hercules: The Legendary Journeys’ (1995-1999), as a worthy candidate. Lucy Lawless and Greek mythology combined was a good early recipe. Is it the willingness to cross boundaries and try something bold and modern? ‘True Blood’ (2008-2014) comes to mind—and no, I don’t think we’re ready for a remake yet. Then what is it? The fandom, perhaps, that raises a tale to such high-sounding standards? I would be willing to consider ‘Once Upon A Time’ (2011-2018) for task, then, or better yet, the cult darling ‘Supernatural’ (2005-2020), which boasts a spectacular fifteen-year run.

But no. We’re going elsewhere with this. We’re going farther than we have ever gone before, because the market of ‘televised epic fantasy’ has only just begun to blossom, and it’s mostly due to the sheer size of the oeuvres that are being adapted and repackaged for a broader and more patient audience. Developing such projects demands gargantuan sacrifices of time, money, and human resources—settling anywhere below will inadvertently lead to underwhelming, vapid fluff.

‘XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS’ (1995-2001), ©MCA TELEVISION

‘The Magicians’ (2015-2020): Surprisingly Epic

Learning plenty from her work with Eric Kripke on ‘Supernatural’, Sera Gamble teamed up with John McNamara to bring Lev Grossman’s novels to the small screen. When SyFy decided to invest in this show, they were probably aware of the risks—the raunchy magic tale works differently on the page than it does onscreen, yet even so, ‘The Magicians’ stands apart from the rest of the crowd. Sure, there are things I might have done differently with some of the narrative threads, but still…

Story-wise, it is daring enough to be awarded a tiny ‘epic fantasy’ badge. It’s basically ‘Harry Potter’ but with drugs, booze, ancient gods, and potty mouths. Its worldbuilding is complex and imaginative enough, borrowing elements of Greek mythology and quantum physics along the way. It also has a considerable fanbase to work with. Unlike ‘The Shannara Chronicles’ (2016-2017), which was bland and deservedly short-lived, ‘The Magicians’ survived for five seasons as it pushed its young protagonists into difficult situations that required tremendous sacrifices. In some cases, their choices came at a horrific price.

‘THE MAGICIANS’ (2015-2020), ©NBC UNIVERSAL TELEVISION

‘American Gods’ (2017): Neil Gaiman Done Right

I’m equal parts doubtful and eager whenever a Gaiman project is announced for television. It’s probably because of the emotional investment that I have in his work. Nevertheless, most of his adaptations have not disappointed, least of all ‘American Gods’, which is based on my favourite book. When it comes to ‘epic fantasy’, this story has every box ticked, albeit with one particularly worrying asterisk.

My only issue with the Starz-produced series is the studio’s inability to retain showrunners—thus losing important actors along the way. The first season, helmed by the brilliant Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, did a wicked job of transforming ‘American Gods’ into high-quality television art. But after budget-related conflicts, Fuller and Green were pushed out of the project, which led to Gillian Anderson and Kristin Chenoweth’s subsequent departure. Jesse Alexander of ‘Heroes’ (2006-2010) fame sort-of took over, though it’s still unclear as to the depth of his involvement—which didn’t last longer than the second season, anyway.

After another hiatus, ‘American Gods’ has finally returned under Charles ‘Chic’ Eglee, better known for ‘Moonlighting’ (1986-1989) and ‘The Shield’ (2004-2008), but even that isn’t without a harrowing loss. According to an expletive-laced video posted on Twitter, Orlando Jones (Mr Nancy) stated that he was fired from the series because the showrunner doesn’t understand his character. According to the actor, Eglee ‘thinks that Mr Nancy’s angry, get s—t done [attitude] is the wrong message for Black America’. Yet when I’m nervous about a Neil Gaiman adaptation, they tell me I’m overthinking…

‘AMERICAN GODS’ (2017), ©FREMANTLE/STARZ!

‘His Dark Materials’ (2019): Now That’s What I Call Epic!

Philip Pullman’s trilogy is one of the best works of fantasy I read whilst coming of age. It’s an ambitious story that follows two gifted children as they wander through a series of parallel universes and fight for freedom and survival against exceptionally dark forces. An especially appealing element is the daemon, a manifestation of the inner-self as an animal being.

Pullman once named John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ among the influences for ‘His Dark Materials’, abruptly rejecting any comparison to C.S. Lewis’s ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’, which he characterised as ‘blatantly racist’ and ‘monumentally disparaging of women’. Needless to say, ‘His Dark Materials’ ascends among the better works of ‘epic fantasy’, and given the author’s direct involvement, HBO’s adaptation does a better job than its feature-length and stale-cotton-candy predecessor, ‘The Golden Compass’ (2007).

‘HIS DARK MATERIALS’ (2019), ©HOME BOX OFFICE (HBO)

‘Carnival Row’ (2019): An Absolute Original

As mentioned earlier, the majority of ‘epic fantasies’ come from literature: the story was first told in print, and there were plenty of pages in which to build an imaginary world with extraordinary creatures inspired by myth and folklore. Yet Travis Beacham and René Echevarria pulled off quite the number with ‘Carnival Row’, which blends the tenebrous murder mystery with a Victorian fantasy realm in a way that just… works without a source material.

Of course, the show wouldn’t have the same appeal without Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne—the latter having grown visibly as a thespian since ‘Anna Karenina’ (2012). Nominated for three Primetime Emmys, the first season has garnered a hefty round of applause, and I dare hope to see the second season exceed those accolades swiftly.

‘CARNIVAL ROW’ (2019), ©AMAZON STUDIOS

‘Game of Thrones’ (2011-2019): The Undisputed Champion

Regardless of what anyone thought about the final season, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’ adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s extraordinary ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ novel series is a masterpiece of both television and ‘epic fantasy’. It set a stellar standard to which few, if any others, might ever rise to meet. With such an ambitious source material and HBO’s deep pockets, part of what made the show work was the fearless casting—with the exception of several titular roles, most of the actors were young and fresh-faced when production started, with barely a credit or two to their names. The Stark kids had zero, for that matter.

The first five seasons brought the incredible story of Westeros and the seven kingdoms to life with exceptional detail and an overwhelming love of the cinematic craft—from filming locations to costume and set design, ‘Game of Thrones’ excelled and then some. Given the complex story and multiple main character arcs, the mere fact that D&D pulled it off with barely a hitch was an incredible accomplishment. The first five seasons, however, had the published books to rely on.

‘GAME OF THRONES’ (2011-2019), ©HOME BOX OFFICE/HBO

With extensive assistance from the author himself, the showrunners pushed through seasons six and seven mostly on their own, with an idea of how Martin saw the story evolving across the upcoming novels, ‘Winds of Winter’ and ‘A Dream of Spring’. The series didn’t fumble, managing its extensive load of characters with sufficient grace. Alas, with a fandom accustomed to nothing beneath exceptional writing, Benioff and Weiss self-sabotaged their grand conclusion by rushing toward the finish line. I wasn’t shocked by Daenerys’s psychotic twist—I paid attention since the first season when she didn’t even flinch while her brother had molten gold poured onto his head. I wasn’t disappointed by Bran becoming king, either, nor by Jon’s retreat into ‘the real North’. It sort-of made sense.

But the final season was… rushed. A few more episodes would’ve smoothed things over and tied up several important loose ends. I cried aplenty when Ramin Djawadi’s score, aptly titled ‘The Last of the Starks’, came on, and I bid the young wolves farewell, knowing their adventures wouldn’t end there. To this day, I have yet to watch anything remotely close to the production brilliance of ‘Game of Thrones’ despite its twilight flaws.

‘GAME OF THRONES’ (2011-2019), ©HOME BOX OFFICE/HBO

Of Epics to Come

Given the titanic success of ‘Game of Thrones’ and George R.R. Martin’s forays into ASOIAF-related prequels, it’s no wonder that HBO has been flirting with a couple more titles. Jane Goldman of ‘X-Men First Class’ (2011) repute was initially set to lead a successor show focused on Westeros’ descent from the bright Age of Heroes into the dreaded Long Night—there was even a pilot shot, starring Naomi Watts.

Alas, the higher powers scrapped the whole project and made way for ‘House of the Dragon’, which is due to air in 2022 and chronicles the Targaryen struggles throughout their 300-year reign since Aegon’s Conquest. So far, Matt Smith, Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, and Emma D’Arcy have joined the developing project—the characters they’re set to portray belong to a particular conflict in the history of Westeros, better known as ‘The Dance of Dragons’, which nearly tore the kingdoms apart and decimated the Targaryen’s dragon population. Ryan J. Condal and Miguel Sapochnik will act as writers and showrunners, working closely with George R.R. Martin.

‘House of the Dragon’ isn’t the only project in the pipeline, either, as HBO has recently greenlit a TV series adaption of ‘Tales of Dunk and Egg’, a spinoff following Dunk and Egg on their adventures throughout Westeros before they became known as Ser Duncan the Tall, Commander of the King’s Guard, and King Aegon the Fifth. Little is known about the project at this point, but I’m certainly looking forward to it. I need an ASOIAF fix, stat.

‘HOUSE OF THE DRAGON’ (2022), ©HOME BOX OFFICE/HBO

Following the cinematic success of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, Amazon Studios decided to try their hand at a prequel by enlisting the talents of J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay to bring the Second Age of Middle-Earth to life for the streaming giant. It’s been in the works for a couple of years now, with casting that took place around the world and extensive negotiations with the government of New Zealand. Filming began last February in Auckland, listing Robert Aramayo, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Ian Blackburn, and Maxim Baldry among the actors involved.

Ultimately, these are exciting times… There is plenty of room for ‘epic fantasy’ in the land of TV. The stakes were set high—very high, actually, and that’s a wonderful starting point. May the upcoming series soar beyond what has already been aired and may no other showrunner ever rush and pull a D&D ever again.

The BBC has revealed first-look photos and a release date for the brand new TV adaptation of Alan Bennett’s ’Talking Heads’.

The original monologues, which were first broadcast on the BBC in 1988 and 1998, featured an impressive star cast, and the 2020 version of the show doesn’t fall short either.

The 2020 version of ‘Talking Heads’ will boast an all-star line-up including Jodie Comer, Martin Freeman, Tamsin Greig, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, Sarah Lancashire, Lucian Msamati, Maxine Peake, Rochenda Sandall, Kristin Scott Thomas, Harriet Walter, and Monica Dolan.

MARTIN FREEMAN AS GRAHAM WHITTAKER. ©LONDON THEATRE COMPANY/ZAC NICHOLSON/BBC

The original version attracted the likes of Dame Julie Walters, Maggie Smith, Patricia Routledge, Stephanie Cole, Dame Thora Hird, Dame Eileen Atkins, David Haig and Dame Penelope Wilton, alongside Alan Bennett himself, who portrayed Graham Whittaker in ‘A Chip In The Sugar’, a role now inherited by Martin Freeman.

At the time, the monologues won two Baftas, an RTS award and have also been included on the A-level and GCSE English Literature syllabus.

JODIE COMER AS LESLEY. ©LONDON THEATRE COMPANY/ZAC NICHOLSON/BBC

The new series includes twelve monologues, each performed by a different actor, ten of which are retellings of the original pieces. The other two are new stories written by Bennett last year. The first, titled ‘An Ordinary Woman’, sees Sarah Lancashire sitting at a kitchen table next to a pot of coffee and the other new work, called ‘The Shrine’, will be performed by Monica Dolan, in which she is also seated at a kitchen table. The plots for these two new stories are yet to be revealed.

Martin Freeman portrays Graham Whittaker, a middle-aged repressed homosexual with a history of mental health issues, who suddenly finds his life challenging as his mother, with whom he still lives under the same roof, rekindles an old flame with a man from her past.

SARAH LANCASHIRE. ©LONDON THEATRE COMPANY/ZAC NICHOLSON/BBC

Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer plays Lesley, an aspiring actress who is offered what she believes to be her big break in a new film for the West German market. It’s likely she is not aware of the fact that she is appearing in a soft porn film. In the original series, the role was played by Dame Julie Walters.

IMELDA STAUNTON AS IRENE RUDDOCK. ©LONDON THEATRE COMPANY/ZAC NICHOLSON/BBC

Irene Ruddock is played by Harry Potter’s Imelda Staunton. She is a single, middle-aged woman who lives near Bradford. Irene is not afraid to speak her mind so She frequently writes to her MP, the police, the chemist to inform them of the social issue she witnesses around her. Things take a weird turn as Irene begins to suspect her neighbours of child neglect.

MONICA DOLAN. ©LONDON THEATRE COMPANY/ZAC NICHOLSON/BBC

Thanks to the contained nature of the monologues, they could be filmed with casts and crews socially distancing and following safe working practises during the coronavirus outbreak, using existing sets at BBC Elstree Studios.

Here is the full cast for the new version of the show:

• Jodie Comer in ‘Her Big Chance’
• Monica Dolan in ‘The Shrine’
• Martin Freeman in ‘A Chip In The Sugar’
• Tamsin Greig in ‘Nights In The Garden of Spain’
• Sarah Lancashire in ‘An Ordinary Woman’
• Lesley Manville in ‘Bed Among The Lentils’
• Lucian Msamati in ‘Playing Sandwiches’
• Maxine Peake in ‘Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet’
• Rochenda Sandall in ‘The Outside Dog’
• Kristin Scott Thomas in ‘The Hand Of God’
• Imelda Staunton in ‘A Lady Of Letters Harriet Walter in Soldiering On’

The series will be broadcast on BBC One from 9pm on Tuesday 23 June 2020 with a double-bill.

After this, all 12 monologues will be made available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

According to Deadline, the bidding melee for one of Hollywood’s highest profile features is about to end. Apple is likely to win, and the agreements are currently being put on paper, with Paramount due to sign off. ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’, the Martin Scorsese-directed film with Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro in leading roles, will be marketed as an Apple original film, though Paramount will be in charge of its theatrical distribution worldwide.

It had been a while since Paramount had acquired the title from Imperative Entertainment when it allowed Rick Yorn, Scorsese and DiCaprio’s manager, to shop it around a few weeks back. According to several sources, the studio was anxious about a $180-$200 million price tag over an Oklahoma location shoot. On top of that, Paramount’s execs were more interested in the original Eric Roth screenplay than its rewrite. But once the brass allowed Mr Yorn to market the project, every single studio from Universal to MGM and streamers like Netflix and Apple have fought over it.

 

RITA SMITH, ANNA BROWN, MOLLIE BURKHART, AND MINNIE SMITH, OSAGE VICTIMS & SUBJECTS OF ‘KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON’, ©THE OSAGE NATIONAL MUSEUM/DOUBLEDAY

While some might have expected the streaming rights to go to Netflix, Scorsese’s previous backer for ‘The Irishman’ (2019), it appears that Apple will be the financier and the creative studio for ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’, making it a rare instance of a cinematic ‘best of both worlds’. The film will first get a massive release in theatres worldwide through Paramount, after which it will become the biggest title available on Apple’s streaming service. A key priority was for the film to be a large-scale Western—Scorsese, DiCaprio, De Niro and producers Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas at Imperative had all agreed on this.

After ‘Greyhound’, the WWII film with Tom Hanks in the lead and as the author of the script, ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is Apple’s second major movie deal. The streamer is obviously beginning to move through the industry and its shifting market, shooting straight for the heavyweights.

The Scorsese-directed drama is based on the eponymous book penned by David Grann, the New Yorker journalist whose non-fiction writings have already crossed over into the cinematic realm with ‘The Lost City of Z’ (2016) and Robert Redford’s exquisite ‘The Old Man and the Gun’ (2018). ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ caught the public eye five years ago, when Friedkin and Thomas outbid everyone and slapped a $5 million price tag on the film rights.

The book unravels the mystery behind a series of murders of Oklahoma’s wealthy Osage Native Americans in the 1920s, after precious oil deposits were discovered beneath their lands—ironically, the tribe had been relocated from Kansas on the assumption that their new home in Oklahoma would yield nothing of value. The investigation that followed virtually established the FBI and became a turning point in the evolution of post-frontier-era America.

Eric Roth of ‘Forrest Gump’ (1994) and ‘Munich’ (2005) fame wrote the screenplay adaptation, with Scorsese and DiCaprio signing on early, while Robert De Niro agreed to join the team later. It’s an important moment in contemporary cinema as Martin Scorsese partners with his two highly acclaimed acting collaborators—notably, De Niro and DiCaprio haven’t had a meaningful gig together since ‘This Boy’s Life’ (1993).

This year’s pilot season is considered ‘unfinished business’ by many, as pilots have been ordered but few to none were shot. Even so and in these unprecedented circumstances as we battle a global pandemic that halted jobs, careers, and numerous cinematic projects, it still feels like business as usual in May of 2020. Three of the five broadcast networks have begun picking up series from the pool of pilot orders.

‘B Positive’, CBS’ new comedy, is the only one based on a completed pilot. The others were straight-to-series orders encouraged by two or more scripts and the creative reputations of their proposed showrunners. Forced to deal with expensive decisions (a high-end drama series could go anywhere between $50 million and $80 million), the networks have taken some measures to minimize the risk of investment by opting for projects that are either based on well-known IP’s or come from popular and accomplished creators/producers. Also considered are any big stars or big commitments attached to the project, though ideally the networks do prefer a combination of two or more from the above.

CHUCK LORRE AT PALEYFEST 2013

Over the past couple of weeks, seven straight-to-series orders have been made. Two of them are reboots (‘The Equalizer’ from CBS with Queen Latifah, ‘Kung Fu’ from the CW), one is a sequel to an iconic film (‘Clarice’ from CBS, a follow-up to ‘The Silence of the Lambs’), and one is a book adaptation (‘Big Sky’ from ABC, based on Cassie Dewell’s book series). We’ll also be seeing a ‘Walker Texas Ranger’ reboot starring Jared Padalecki of ‘Supernatural’ fame, and ‘Superman & Lois’, both straight-to-series orders by the CW since January.

Greg Berlanti and Chuck Lorre are CBS and the CW’s aces up the sleeve. Mr Berlanti’s company produces ‘Kung Fu’ and ‘Superman & Lois’, while Mr Lorre is a co-creator and executive producer of ‘B Positive’. The former also has nine other series on the CW, while the latter has three successful comedies on CBS. On top of that, Alex Kurtzman, CBS All Access/CBS TV Studio MVP and the architect behind the newer ‘Star Trek’ universe and co-creator of ‘Hawaii Five-O’, will be taking on the ‘Clarice’ project—likely his most ambitious endeavour yet.

David E. Kelley, one of the best TV creators of the past thirty years, will be writing and executive producing ‘Big Sky’, while Kari Lizer of ‘The New Adventures of Old Christine’ fame will create and produce ‘Call Your Mother’, ABC’s newly picked comedy series featuring Kyra Sedgwick. ‘Young Rock’ will be put together by ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ creator Nahnatchka Khan and Dwayne Johnson for NBC, as well as ‘L.A. Mayor’, which will be helmed by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock.

While no one can blame any of the networks for trying to play it safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s hard to deny the benefits of an actual pilot season, which has repeatedly been the way to go through screenings and testing of dark-horse projects that might end up being incredibly popular—CBS’s ‘Blue Bloods’ and ABC’s ‘Grey Anatomy’ are but two examples. Broadcasters still plan on shooting some pilots later this year, but most will be rolled into the next pilot season.

There are also a few promising titles based on original ideas that don’t bear the usual signatures of NBC and Fox producers, which are the only networks that haven’t yet ordered series for any of their pilots. Among them, NBC’s ‘Debris’ and ‘Ordinary Joe’ stand out, along with Fox’s ‘Blood Relative’.

The current disruption of the flawed broadcast development cycle is clear, though, and it comes with unexpected benefits in the long run. Today’s programming choices might seem conventional to most, but the pilot season has been forced to change its pattern. Many doubt it will ever go back to pre-pandemic standards, which might in turn help bring fresh ideas to the table and push broadcasters into taking more chances without hanging everything on a single pilot.

Better known for his roles as Pennywise in ‘It’ (2017) and The Kid in ‘Castle Rock’ (2018-2019), Bill Skarsgård has recently been chosen to play Swedish criminal Clark Olofsson in a six-part Netflix series titled ‘Clark’.

A Swedish language adaptation of Olofsson’s autobiography, ‘Clark’ will follow the convicted drug trafficker and bank robber’s criminal escapades dating back to the 1960s. He is the one who popularized the term ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, in which hostages forge an affinity with their abductor. This happened after a failed bank robbery in the Swedish capital in 1973.

BILL SKARSGÅRD

Jonas Åkerlund of ‘Lords of Chaos’ (2018) fame will direct the series, which is produced by Scandinavian Content Group. He will be joined by Fredrik Agetoft and Peter Arrhenius on the writers’ team, and he will also be the executive producer, along with Hans Engholm and Bill Skarsgård.

‘Clark Olofsson is, for good and bad, one of Sweden’s most colourful and fascinating individuals. I accept this challenge with delight mingled with terror and think that with Jonas and Netflix in the back, we can tell a ground-breaking story with a pace and madness we may not have seen on TV before’, said Mr Skarsgård.

Mr Åkerlund added: ‘Clark is the story about the most politically incorrect man, who lived the most politically incorrect life. These are the kinds of stories I always look for.’

Also known as Alexander Skarsgård’s younger and equally talented brother (not to mention Stellan Skarsgård’s son), Bill Skarsgård will also be seen in ‘The Devil All the Time’ (2020) on Netflix, later this year, and he’s due to feature in Edson Oda’s ‘Nine Days’ (2020) alongside Zazie Beetz and Winston Duke. While 2020 has been throwing some nasty curveballs at us, it looks as though things are looking up for us, cinephiles, since we’re bound to see more of Mr Skarsgård by December.