Terry Pratchett’s acclaimed Discworld novels are being brought to life as a television miniseries.
Deadline reports that BBC Studios is developing a six-episode series based on the popular fantasy series, which ran from 1983 until Pratchett’s death in 2015. Strike Back and The Musketeers writer Simon Allen will pen the adaptation under the working title of The Watch.
RELATED: Good Omens Miniseries in the Works From Neil Gaiman and Amazon
The title suggests a focus on the tales of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. If that’s the case, expect the main character to be fan favorite Sam Vimes, with a supporting cast that includes a dwarf, a werewolf and a zombie. Interestingly, there has been a series based on Ankh-Morpork in development hell since 2011 — it was described as a “Pratchett-style CSI“— but we will have to wait and see whether any of those ideas are carried over into this new project.
Taking inspiration from the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien, Discworld centers on a mythical flat world that balances on the back of four elephants, which stand on a giant turtle. The series could technically go anywhere, but the BBC is apparently looking at the idea as a returnable franchise if the first run does well. Considering there are 41 Discworld titles, this six-part series could just be the start of something much bigger.
RELATED: First Look At Jon Hamm As Gabriel in Good Omens
In the wake of shows like Game of Thrones and the planned Lord of the Rings series, Discworld fits our current obsession with fantasy novels being expanded into the world of TV. Given that Discworld has sold more than 80 million copies in 37 countries, there is certainly a fan base for a TV adaptation.
Amazon is already in production on an adaptation of Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens.