The Best Fantasy Novel In Years Getting Adaptation From The Perfect Studio

Piranesi sold over 4 million copies and earned Clarke the 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction. This is Clarke’s second novel, with the first coming in 2004 titled Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, which was adapted into a TV series.

In July, Laika acquired the rights to Piranesi, with CEO Travis Knight set to be in charge of the project. Laika has been in charge of some impressive films like Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, and Kubo and the Two Strings. Piranesi is set to be a stop-motion animated film.

Travis Knight has directed only two movies to date: Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee. However, he’s currently set to direct a few others, including Masters of the Universe and Wildwood.

When asked about taking over Piranesi, Travis said, “Piranesi is a treasure, and very dear to me… She’s one of my all-time favorite authors, and with Piranesi, Susanna has created a beautiful, devastating and ultimately life-affirming work of art…”

Susanna Clarke is also quite excited about the opportunity, and the fact that Piranesi is set to be an animated film. “Animation is one of my favorite things,” Clarke said.

“I’ve been inspired by so many animated movies; and Laika has produced such extraordinary work — movies like Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings, full of beauty and wonder and weirdness. I’m thrilled that Piranesi has found a home with them and I can’t wait to see what they do.”

While Laika is planning on adapting Piranesi, there’s very little information about the plan for the story or the expected timeline.

The studio has a few projects in progress now, including Wildwood and The Night Gardener, both of which are also book adaptations, so Piranesi might have to wait a bit before production can start.

One of the films Laika, and Travis, are currently working on is set to release in 2026. Since that one is already in production, and Piranesi likely hasn’t been started yet, this film adaptation could still be several years out.

Laika hasn’t produced a film in over five years, so it’s pretty exciting to hear the team is not only picking up more work but also has several projects already started. The last film Laika released was in 2019 and was called The Missing Link.

While Laika only has five films under its belt at this current moment, all are impressive, each having been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Piranesi is a story about a labyrinth set in another world. The story is told through the point of view of a man called Piranesi as he spends time exploring and learning more about the seemingly endless labyrinth.

While Piranesi is mostly alone, with only a few birds and some bones to call his friends, he’s occasionally visited by a man called The Other.

The Other visits Piranesi twice a week, and most of his time in the labyrinth is arranged around the tides and his own unique timelines. However, things start to change as The Other grows more worried about outside forces entering the labyrinth.

Piranesi grows curious and as he starts to investigate, he starts to learn more about the truth of the labyrinth, the people in it, and how Piranesi ended up in such a situation.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter