Fantasy has become a big ticket item in the entertainment industry for quite some time, with franchises like The Lord of the Rings, How to Train Your Dragon, and Harry Potter being only a handful of examples. Just this month, Game of Thrones has returned with a prequel series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. While the world of Westeros is planning to continue for years to come, another major fantasy franchise has seemingly died before it had the chance to reach the same heights as the HBO series. In a disappointing update, the potential director of this new story spills the beans.
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The popular novel Best Served Cold was originally announced to receive a live-action adaptation from none other than Deadpool director Tim Miller. Originally announced as a Paramount production, Miller shared that the project has stalled out and he’s confident that it will never actually happen, “I’m egotistical enough to want to do the big things. I don’t like people calling me the director; I like the power of crafting this big project. And the focus that comes with that. But I’ve had a lot of movies almost go recently, and then for one reason or another doesn’t go. Best Served Cold, the Joe Abercrombie book. That was at Skydance with Rebecca Ferguson, who was perfect for the character. And… it just didn’t happen.”
What Could Have Been For Best Served Cold
For those who might not know, Best Served Cold is a part of a universe that has been dubbed “The First Law Trilogy.” While not a part of said trilogy, this story is a standalone focusing on the storyline. The trilogy includes the books The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and Last Argument of Kings. While the three books were never confirmed to receive live-action adaptations of their own, we have to imagine that if Best Served Cold was a success, the universe would expand further on the silver screen.
Not only was Tim Miller confirmed to direct, but the project had already found its leading lady. Rebecca Ferguson, who fans might know for her roles in Apple TV’s Silo, Dune, Doctor Sleep, and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, was set to take the leading role. In the build-up to the project that was originally announced in 2023, Miller described his film as “Game of Thrones meets Kill Bill,” two wildly different properties that would make for quite the fusion had it ever gotten off the ground. While the reason behind the death of the project wasn’t officially confirmed, the Paramount/Skydance merger could have been a major impediment to making the project come to life.
As for the story itself, here’s the official description for Best Served Cold: “Springtime in Styria. And that means war. There have been nineteen years of blood. The ruthless Grand Duke Orso is locked in a vicious struggle with the squabbling League of Eight, and between them they have bled the land white. Armies march, heads roll and cities burn, while behind the scenes bankers, priests, and older, darker powers play a deadly game to choose who will be king.”
The description continues, “War may be hell, but for Monza Murcatto, the Snake of Talins, the most feared and famous mercenary in Duke Orso’s employ, it’s a damn good way of making money too. Her victories have made her popular – a shade too popular for her employer’s taste. Betrayed and left for dead, Murcatto’s reward is a broken body and a burning hunger for vengeance. Whatever the cost, seven men must die.”
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