Those hoping to fill the Star Wars void in their lives with the upcoming Dune films should take heart: A new mix of fantasy and sci-fi is coming to the big screen and its literary source is some of the best in modern memory. And the best part is, the author is adapting her own work. Sony has acquired the rights to N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy (The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate and The Stone Sky) for a healthy sum and that investment is only the start.
Jemisin now has the difficult task of translating her exceptional novels (each won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, making her the first person to win three years in a row) to film. The Stillness is a world of tectonic magic, or orogeny, and mysterious Obelisks. It is also a world of rampant mistrust and discrimination—Orogenes are hatefully called “Roggas” and often killed or enslaved for their powers. It is also a world of catastrophe, and one that prepares for them in kind. Bringing all that ambitious, heady and flashy sci-fi/fantasy to a film will require some heavy studio support. And a big budget to boot.
Whatever the timeline for the project, Sony’s already shown that they’re willing to play ball by winning a bidding war in a seven-figure deal. As every company wants a juicy franchise on their hands, hopefully that kind of devotion will continue throughout the films’ production.