Long-Running Fantasy Epic Series Deserves Major Hollywood Franchise
Sometimes it can take Hollywood a bit to catch on to the best offerings a genre has to offer. That is especially true of fantasy, where for the longest time, if it wasn’t The Lord of the Rings, Hollywood did not seem to think it was worth focusing on. Then Game of Thrones got its adaptation and made people realize fantasy could also be very dark and adult. But so far Hollywood has not seemed to seriously catch on that fantasy can also be hilarious, as evidenced by some of the funniest fantasy books you will ever read, the Discworld series.
Discworld
Created by the hilarious and talented Terry Pratchett, Discworld consists of over 40 books that were released before Pratchett was taken from the world all too soon at the age of 66. If you have never read any of the books before, that many novels might sound daunting, but many of them are actually only loosely connected.
The series has multiple entry points depending on which aspect of Discworld interests you most. Perfect for shows and movies to have spinoffs!
Discworld’s Many Entry points
Interested in how crime is dealt with in Discworld? Check out the books focusing on the Night Watch and their encounters with groups like the thieves guild.
Interested in magic and mischief? Check out the Witches books focusing on characters like Granny Weatherwax who are turned to for guidance when the world is in upheaval. But honestly, with as many great storylines as Discworld has, the true wonder is why they have not been given more serious attempts at screen adaptations.
BBC’s TV Movies
To be fair, there have certainly been attempts at adapting Discworld, like the BBC made for TV movies, but those do not have the budget needed to truly do the novels justice. The fantasy genre is often expensive to adapt due to the cost of making creatures like dragons look good through either CGI or well-done practical effects. If Discworld is going to be done right, it needs to have the backing of a company like HBO or Netflix to do a truly great looking series, or we need to start seeing some Discworld movies in theaters.
Filling The Void Of Comedy Fantasy
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves came out in 2023 and proved that fantasy and comedy can go great together. Anyone who has read Discworld knows how funny they are, both through Pratchett’s witty and often sarcastic prose, but also his sprawling cast of quirky characters that deftly tackle satire of so many classic fantasy tropes. And a well-done big budget Discworld adaptation would really open people’s eyes to how versatile fantasy can be in its themes. What Game of Thrones did for dark fantasy, Discworld could do for comedy fantasy.
We Could Use More Discworld And Less Westeros
If anything the fantasy genre is oversaturated with dark fantasy imitators. You have heard of superhero fatigue, but grimdark fantasy has had fatigue around it since before the final episode of Game of Thrones even aired. At this point, speculation about when George R.R. Martin is releasing the next A Song of Ice and Fire book is met less with excitement, and more with jokes that we will never see book six. Discworld obviously does not have that problem with over 40 published books.
People all over are dealing with a lot of sad, frustrating situations every day in real life. Now more than ever, people are looking for reasons to take their mind off things and enjoy a few laughs. Discworld is the perfect antidote to all that misery. We just need a studio out there to take a chance and give us an adaptation worthy of the legacy of Terry Pratchett, an author whose influence on the fantasy genre has touched so many.
