“Tolkien Themed” TV Show to Air on MTV
by Jason Welebny
With Peter Jackson’s film adaption of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit about to be released in theaters across the world, fantasy fans seem to be enjoying no end of spoils these days. MTV recently announced it would be adapting the long running book series Shannara, written by Terry Brooks, for television. The original novel,The Sword of Shannara, was published in 1977, right around the time the original Star Wars was first captivating the world. Despite some critics bemoaning Shannara for borrowing too heavily from Tolkien’s work, the series is nonetheless regarded by many to have reignited the general population’s interest in fantasy fiction in a time when little else was available. The Sword of Shannara also has the distinction of being the first epic fantasy fiction novel to secure a place on the New York Time’s bestseller list. The subsequent novels were generally well received, and Brooks continues to explore the world of Shannara to this day.
With over twenty books encapsulating the series thus far, television may just be the perfect vehicle for covering Brook’s sprawling storyline. Game of Thrones has proven a complex, multilayered story spanning multiple volumes can be successfully translated into a television series, and perhaps provides a roadmap for Shannara. The original three books have all the trappings of classical fantasy; the story features the Ohmsford family and their quest across the Four Lands to defeat the vile Warlock Lord. Replete with elves, dwarves, magical tomes, mystical creatures, magic, and battle, Shannara is as large in scope, but not so gritty as A Game of Thrones. It’s more whimsical tone should lend itself to being suitable for a wider and perhaps younger audience.
Actor, director, and screenwriter John Favreau’s name has been attached to the series, and given his success in recent years with various large scale, special effects laden projects, including Cowboys and Aliens, and the Ironman movies, Shannara should be in capable hands.
About Author Jason Welebny:
Jason works full time at the Cape Coral Daily Breeze as a graphic designer, and writes as much as his little fingers will enable in the evenings. His first novel will be published through Oloris Publishing in 2014. He’s currently working on the sequel, and the first book of another epic fantasy series with fellow writer and good friend Jason R. Jones, author of the Exodus Sagas. His weekends are filled with recording his band’s second album, and he prays that someday he’ll have the time to have a somewhat “normal” life, and maybe even occasionally emerge from his cave of creativity to see what other humans are up to… though he doubts this will ever happen.
I loved the Shannara books as a kid. I would love to see this series!