Warner Bros. Options “Dragonriders Of Pern” And Has Writer For The Project
While this is a story that has made the rounds for many years, it looks like the dream of many a dragon fan is finally being realized as Warner Brothers has not only optioned the rights to the book series Dragonriders Of Pern by Anne McCaffrey, it also appears that they now have a screenwriter for the project, and that is author Sarah Cornwell.
What helps to make this news so exciting is the incredible success Warner Bros. has had with their “book-to-film” adaptations. The 6 Tolkien movies have been quite successful for Warners, as has the entire Harry Potter series of movies, not to mention their Dark Knight series of Batman movies. With this type of track record it only made sense for them to pursue one of the most beloved book series ever penned. However Warner Bros. decided that if they were going to do this, then they would have to go in with both feet, meaning they have optioned the entire series of 22 books. Now whether or not Sarah Cornwell will handle the script writing for the entire movie franchise is not yet known and probably won’t be until the first movie is filmed and released.
This series revolves around a world where an elite group of fighters ride with telepathic dragons in order to battle an airborne menace threatening their entire world of Pern. What’s not to love about this? It has political intrigue, war, romance, and best of all, dragons. This allows Warner Bros. to create a series of movies on the scale of Game Of Thrones.
While Sarah Cornwell doesn’t have many screenwriting credits (although she has credits for Demon Camp and The Forest), she is best known for her work in novels, especially “What I Had Before I Had You,” which is described as multi-generational story about the effects of bipolar disorder, and it was highly praised since it’s release last year. While she is quite the accomplished short story author, her work on “What I Had” shows that she has the chops to write something on a grand scale with a sweeping timeline that exists in the Dragonrider books.
So does Warner Bros. actually stand a chance at seeing this fantasy series actually realized for the big screen, or is this just another set of high hopes that only lead to crashing disappointments? Let us known in the comments below!!!
I just hope they don’t put scales on these dragons. You don’t have Pernese dragons if you put scales on them. Also the wingsails don’t end at the shoulders. They end at the base of the tail.
As long as these dragon things, and the colors assigned to Harpers and Healers…
…They may have a fair chance of pulling it off.
But only a fair chance.
I hope they do it soon. And I do think they have an excellent chance of getting it right. Why wouldn’t they ? Animation has become incredibly credible.
Uh, I’m missing here. Other sites are reporting that Warner Brothers optioned all 22 novels, NOT 12. LOLS.
I think Sarah Cornwell looks as I imagine Lessa looks with that faint aristocratic look and pale skin and dark hair
Are they still working on it?
That is a real good question.
I sure hope it’s still in the works!
I just don’t think it should be done as a big summer blockbuster film series, especially not by ole WB. We’ve seen that done to books we cherish and Warner Bros has shown time and again that they don’t have the vision or tact to handle such a project well.
Well it’s still stuck somewhere in Development Hell, and when a project gets trapped there it seldom ends up seeing the light of day, and part of that could be due to the suits at Warner Bros.
I have been waiting for a long time and nothing happens… I am a big big fan of the Dragonrider novels from the start…a series or movies would crown the novels….Hurry up…lol
I think at some point they will make it for the big screen. It is such a beloved series. There would be many people who would go out of their way to watch it if it became realized. I just hope that they do not ruin it. They can not just pick actors because of their big names. Each of these characters are so loved by fans. They have to do it right, otherwise it will never get off the ground.
I remember writing an email to a family member, begging them to make sure they do do the Pern series right when they decide to make it into movies. Pern was so well written and such a wonderful world to escape to that I am sure fans would want it to be done in a way that doesn’t shorten it or be made too “Hollywood”.