Showtime Passes on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Kingkiller Chronicles Series

Lin-Manuel Miranda has arguably changed the pop culture world with Hamilton, but it looks like his latest project has hit a bit of a snag. According to a new report from Deadline, Showtime has decided to not move forward with a The Kingkiller Chronicle prequel series, which Miranda is lined up to executive produce. The series is set to serve as a prequel to Patrick Rothfuss’ iconic book franchise, and was expected to launch alongside a Kingkiller Chronicle movie from Lionsgate. Lionsgate TV has reportedly begun shopping the project, which already has multiple scripts written, to other networks. The report indicates that Apple could be a potential buyer for the series, but that those tied to the Apple+ streaming service have only committed to looking at finished scripts so far.

Set in the world of the popular fantasy series by Rothfuss, The Kingkiller Chronicle will follow a pair of wandering performers on their adventures through the unique and startling world of Temerant, immersing audiences in a universe of unexpected heroes, mystical places, and terrifying dark forces. It is a world that has delighted readers and critics alike, selling more than 10 million copies in 35 languages across the globe. The television adaption is a subversive origin story set a generation before the events of the trilogy’s first novel, The Name of the Wind.

The prequel is written by Leverage and The Player alum John Rogers, who is expected to serve as showrunner if the project goes to series. Miranda is expected to compose music for the project. The series would be executive produced by Rogers, Miranda, Rothfuss, Robert Lawrence (Clueless, Die Hard with a Vengeance) and Jennifer Court (The Player).

While it’s unclear what the future of the Kingkiller Chronicle prequel series is, Lionsgate is believed to still be developing several adaptations of the franchise. The feature film is written by Chaos Walking and Silver Sable‘s Lindsey Beer, with Sam Raimi briefly in talks to direct. A video game inspired by the franchise has also been in the works. Miranda has served as a creative producer for the entire franchise since 2016.

In the meantime, Miranda is starring in the small-screen adaptation of His Dark Materials, which will premiere on HBO in November.

What do you think of the latest development in The Kingkiller Chronicle franchise? Where do you hope the television prequel ultimately lands? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!