The next semi-historical semi-mythological epic may be on its way. Variety reports that filmmaker Brent Ryan Green has picked up the film and television rights to Stephen R. Lawhead’s King Raven trilogy—three books that invent “a historically plausible origin story for Robin Hood,” setting the outlaw’s story in Wales in the 11th century.
The King Raven series (not to be confused with Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven King) consists of three books, each of which has a different point-of-view character. Hood is about the path Bran ap Brychan takes after his father’s kingdom is taken over by Norman invaders; Scarlet follows Will Scarlet, who becomes a follower of King Raven; and Tuck, naturally, turns to Friar Tuck, as the rebellion against the Normans intensifies.
Variety quotes Green’s statement on the series:
“It’s been more than 15 years since I first read Hood [the first instalment of the King Raven trilogy] and the desire to adapt this incredible work for the screen has always been with me. This series impacted me in a way few books have. It’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ meets ‘Game of Thrones’ with the heart of C.S. Lewis. I’m looking forward to finally building out the team that can bring this epic story to life.”
(One may wonder if he means Game of Thrones, the TV series, or A Song of Ice and Fire, the book series. One does not know the answer.)
Green’s most recent directorial outing was the TV horror movie College Professor Obsession, which followed two episodes of The Encounter, a series in which Jesus appears to change people’s lives. He was also an associate producer on Martin Scorsese’s Silence.
