With a huge vaccuum of fantasy book series turned films coming, every publisher is hoping to fill that gap and become the next Harry Potter, or the next Twilight. Both adapted series’ will draw to a theatrical close next year.
Mandalay Pictures has just picked up the rights for Firelight, a trilogy from author Sophie Jordan that revolves around the Draki, a race that claims dragons as their ancestors.
The story follows twin teenage sisters, the descendants of dragons who live in secret with their endangered pride. When their mother learns that the pride has a dark plan for one of the girls who possesses the rare talent of fire breathing, she spirits the twins away to live a normal life among humans.
Any one of the dozens upon dozens of supernatural fantasy book series that have flooded the market stands a chance of filling that gap. This book is no different than any other franchise hopeful out there.
Each one we hope has some unique twist or edge to it that for every reason we want to love it as a book, we will want to love it as a movie. Is it a bad thing to mine the current trend in novels for films? Not at all. Frankly, I encourage them to do this. I made a deal with my kids that if they read the book series I will take them to the movie, so I want as many of these as possible to come out.
I also want them to adapt better than Percy Jackson did. Reboot that one with a script closer to the novel and you would have a hit. There was nothing wrong with Percy Jackson except that it strayed too much from the source material, which made up a lot of its built in audience.
I am just happy that its not another Vampire story.
