MTV is adapting Terry Brook's Shannara Chronicles. Here's first look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=164&v=crjkQHnDYu0
It is a adaption of second book The Elfstones of Shannara. http://www.tv.com/news/the-shannara-chronicles-trailer-premiere-date-mtv-143656241570/

 

Read these books like 10 years ago. Don't really Remember much, except that I thought they were awesome and rather long winded.

Show looks pretty good, but everything Looks good these days. As long as they don't do what they did with Legend of the seeker and make it an episodic and drawn out show, which is unlikely as they will most likely be imitating GOT, then I can foresee this being quite good.

Interesting timing I thought, a January release date?

Guess I Have some rereading to do.

 

I read the first book about a decade ago and hated it. The characters were all assholes and it just seemed to rip off Lord of the Rings constantly. Still, I'll probably watch the first couple of episodes, see if they do it better than the book.

 

The fact that Jon Favreau attached his name to this as EP makes me slightly more open to believing it won't just be high fantasy garbage with Teen Wolf quality dialogue.

 

The original Shannara trilogy and the Heritage of Shannara series might be the only fantasy book series that I haven't finished to this day. They just didn't grab me, the characters and the world were meh. Now, it was about ten years ago, but yeah.

Eh, only GoT did the fantasy books into tv series thing well. Could be interesting, but I won't get my hopes up.

 

Go watch the BBC adaptation of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. It managed to actually be better than the book.

 

As long as they do the Reaper justice, I will be a satisfied viewer. That dude was my worst nightmare (together with Maleficent) when I was a kid. If they manage to make it a decent TV-series, I will be ecstatic. I already know they'll change lots of things (Eretria a main character? Really?), but I'll try to swallow my nerd-outrage to enjoy the ride.

The Sword of Shannara was the first book I ever read by myself, so I can't help but remember it fondly despite its flaws. I reread it (and the entire series) quite a few times and plan to do it again just before the TV-show airs. It was wise to start with the second book, since the first one is so similar to Lord of the Rings. I'm hoping for the best!

 

First trailer is out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDR8b1SpoSc

 

The production value actually looks really decent. Then again, Teen Wolf had some pretty snazzy trailers too...

Who knows, maybe this will redeem scripted MTV... if that is possible.

 

I...really? Out of all the old fantasy series they could adapt, Shannara? Isn't that the series everyone knows but no one thinks is good? When I was a kid eagerly sucking down all the books in the fantasy section of the local library, Shannara was the only thing I just couldn't bring myself to read through. Maybe it has redeeming qualities, I admittedly never read enough of it to know. I bored me completely at a time in my life when all fantasy was new and great and exciting.

Do Pern instead, dragons are in right now. Or Dragonlance. I would have said Wheel of Time was impossible, but building of Game of Thrones success, who knows. Okay, Malazan probably isn't happening, even on HBO. The Farseer books maybe? Forgotten Realms? Abhorsen or Earthsea? Hell, do Tamora Pierce's or Mercedes Lackey's stuff if you want a young adult show. None of the above are particular favorites of mine, (maybe Abhorsen, for the ideas if not the writing) but they're big recognizable names, and when they're bad they're usually at least interestingly bad.

I think of Shannara as the poor man's fantasy novels. I don't necessarily mind derivative, but bad and derivative equals boring. Maybe I'm misjudging, I may not have given them a fair shake, but this project does not fill me with hope. That's before even considering MTV's involvement.

 

Lets get some Kvothe here. I do wonder how they'd try to have an adaptation outta Kingkiller Chronicles. It just seems really difficult.

 

I honestly think they chose Shannara precisely because it's not very good. No one is going to bitch if they butcher some mindless high fantasy shleck, and if it turns out to be better in show form than book form, they'll receive tons of critical praise for transmuting shit into gold.

I personally would hate to see Chestomanci, Abhorsen, Circle of Magic, or Bartimaeus given TV/movie adaptations that are anything short of amazing.

 

Never read the series, but I know Manu Bennett (Deathstroke/Crixus) is in this, and I hope he kicks ass. Guess I'll have to download the books.

 

Well, I knew it would be be a bit cheesy/teeny because of MTV and I knew the story wouldn't be great because you know... it's Shannara... but goddamn. What a colossal waste of production budget.

 

So... How cheesy we talking about? what's the scale here, Khan?

 

The dialogue isn't even Teen Wolf quality. That cheesy. And it's made worse by the fact that the main teen castings can't act to save their lives.

Edit: Here's a better example - not even Manu can salvage it.

 

The plot seemed to be very disjointed. Teen drama. Bad acting. Even the best actor - Manu Bennet - had cheesy lines. "Time for your destiny" and stuff like that.

 

There is a reason it's shown on MTV, it's pretty much aimed at teens. The quality isn't terribly high, there is no dissussion on that, but I do think it has at least some potential. I'm willing to wait and see until there are at least more than four episodes out.

Until then I reserve my judgement. At least a little bit.

 

I knew we were in trouble when Manu's first lines were "It has begun" dun dun duuuun.

 

I just discovered this was a thing.

Any change in opinion? Is it super shit?

I read the books and remember them like I remember a fart from three years ago, but I wouldn't mind familiarising myself with the story(ies) again if it's at all tolerable.