There has been much talk and speculation over the past few years about whether the success of the television adaption of A Game of Thrones would open doors for more fantasy shows with a decent sized budget. Finally, a television boss has spoken up and we’re excited to say that his answer was clearly ‘yes’.
It was during an indepth interview between Broadcast Now and Sky 1 Controller Adam Macdonald, that Macdonald said that although none of the numerous dramas that Sky has in development right now are fantasy there is space over the next three to four years in their schedule to add one or two and that “Quick-witted science fiction plays well with Sky audiences, and I’m intrigued by fantasy worlds that have layer upon layer of lore.”
As I’m sure you will agree, the ‘layer upon layer of lore’ seems a not-so-subtle nod in the direction of A Game of Thrones. This seems to be good news as numerous novels, including Patrick Rothfuss’s Name of The Wind have been snapped up by television studios over the past year or so. We here at F-F are hoping that all it’ll take is for a reputable studio to come forward with a decent proposal for Mr Macdonald to jump at.
This interest in fantasy is similar to what BBC 2 controller, Janice Hadlow, told Den of Geek earlier this year:
“I would be interested in thinking about those territories [sci-fi and fantasy] for BBC 2. I think it’s an area that could do quite well for us and there a number of different things we’re thinking about at the moment. I think it’s a territory we haven’t been into much in the past and we should be thinking about – longer term – what that sort of programming looks like for BBC 2. I think it would look different to BBC 1. Do you go along the lines of an adaptation or an original piece of work? There’s a lot to be done about it but I think it’s an interesting territory.”
So, although we can’t yet point you at ‘the next big fantasy television series’, we can say that the big TV bosses (at least in the UK) have recognised fantasy and its potential.
Jennie Ivins