SyFy has officially greenlit The Magicians to series.
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An adaptation of Lev Grossman’s best-selling novels, The Magicians stars Jason Ralph (A Most Violent Year, Aquarius) as Quentin Coldwater, a brilliant grad student who enrolls in Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, a secret upstate New York university specializing in magic. He and his 20-something friends soon discover that the magical fantasy world they read about as children is all too real – and poses grave danger to humanity. Stella Maeve (Chicago P.D.), Hale Appleman (Teeth), Arjun Gupta (Nurse Jackie) and Summer Bishil (Towelhead, Lucky 7) also star in this one hour drama.
Groundswell Productions’ Michael London and Janice Williams (Milk) will executive produce the series, along with the writers of the pilot, John McNamara (Aquarius) and Sera Gamble (Supernatural). Mike Cahill (I Origins) directed the pilot. Universal Cable Productions will serve as the studio.
“The Magicians pilot beautifully delivers a world filled with wonder, fantasy and intrigue,” said Dave Howe, President, Syfy in a press release. “We can’t wait to delve deeper into the lives of Quentin and his college friends, as they struggle with the enormity of their burgeoning powers – and unleash them upon the world.”
“Ever since The Magicians was published I’ve wanted to see this story on screen,” said Lev Grossman. “The people, the school, the other worlds, the magic. I’m so thrilled that it’s finally happening, and I’m beyond thrilled that we found the right people to do it. Get ready; you’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Lev is a visionary world-creator. It’s an awesome responsibility to honor the novels’ core audience and also to translate that vision to the screen,” said Jeff Wachtel, President and Chief Content Officer, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “We are lucky to have Sera Gamble, Michael London, John McNamara and Janice Williams as the team bringing this series to life.”
Grossman’s “Magicians” trilogy – consisting of The Magicians, The Magician King, and The Magician’s Land – has become a modern classic for being an intelligent foray into fantasy, as well as a look into the relationship between fantasy and its fans, particularly as they grow and mature. The Magician’s Land opened at #1 last summer on the New York Times Hardcover Best Seller’s list, and was widely acclaimed as one of the best books of the year.
The first season of The Magicians will run for 12 epsiodes, and will begin shoting in Vancouver in July.
