Fans of sci-fi novelist Brandon Sanderson will be thrilled to learn that a live-action adaptation of his popular Skyward novels is in the early stages of development.
The “epic” books imagine a devastating war between humanity and an alien race named the Krell, where the bravest of our dwindling number serve as fighter pilots against the extraterrestrial force.
We follow the story of Spensa, a human girl who dreams of defending her people, but faces deep prejudice due to the infamous actions of her late father; a deserter, who was executed and is considered a “coward” by history.
The synopsis, courtesy of Sanderson’s website, reads: “Spensa is still determined to fly – even if it means she must be as resilient in the face of long odds as humanity itself has had to be against the alien threat.”
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It concludes by teasing that “her accidental discovery in a long forgotten cavern might just grant her a way to claim the stars”.
The series consists of four books, the last of which was published in November 2023 to high praise by fans, including a nomination for best young adult fantasy novel at the Goodreads Choice Awards.
Now, production company Tomorrow Studios, which is behind the well-received live-action One Piece series for Netflix, is eyeing a screen version of the Skyward (aka Cytoverse) novels.
According to Deadline, a pilot episode is in the works, led by husband-and-wife writer-producers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, who geeks will remember as the guiding voices behind Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD.
However, no streamer or broadcaster is attached just yet, so it seems that the project will need to be shopped around interested parties before proceeding any further than pilot stage.
Tomorrow Studios executives Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements commented: “Brandon has created a thrilling universe where courage, curiosity and determination to challenge what we think can change the fate of entire worlds.
“The vision that he, Jed and Maurissa have for a television adaptation is ‘defiant to the end’.”
Author Sanderson added: “I’ve been working on the Skyward series for nearly a decade, and to have a partner like Tomorrow Studios to help bring this story to television is a dream come true.”
We’ll bring you more updates on Skyward’s screen adaptation as they come in.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
