World of Darkness is also coming to TV!

It's not just Dungeons & Dragons, or this week's announced Scion TV show, that are getting the live-action treatment. The World of Darkness is getting a TV and movie franchise too!

According to Deadline, Paradox Interactive (owner of the World of Darkness) and The Witcher and The Expanse studio Hivemind.

Writer-producer Christine Boylan said "“The World of Darkness story universe is deliberately and unapologetically inclusive and diverse. It has always made a point of including equal gendered characters, protagonists and antagonists of every race, and representation of all creeds – bringing a female and diverse audience to gaming like nothing prior. Its games and fandom are a place where women, POC, and the LGBTQI community feel welcome and we are very proud to bring these stories to life.”

The developer, Eric Heisserer is the showrunner for Netflix's current Shadow and Bone series.

It's not WoD's first appearance on TV. Back in 1996, a short-lived 8-episode series called Kindred: The Embraced was broadcast.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

It may work (and later hunters and changelings with their own series as "spin-off"), if producers and scripters do the right efforts. The lore is enoughly open and flexible, we don't need an official metaplot. Other series about vampires or supernatural creatures have lasted at least two seasons. Maybe we could find some retcons, for example about the kue-jin (this is the "nick" used by the western cainites, but the Asian vampires would rather their own names).

I admit it, I feel curiosity about the agents of the Technocracy, the mirror-glasses, or the members of the Inquisition.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

The developer, Eric Heisserer is the showrunner for Netflix's current Shadow and Bone series.

This is pretty much the only reason to be excited here.

Shadow and Bone is actually considerably better than the book it is based on (and I suspect if they get more series, will be better still), whilst remaining very true to it and is staggeringly high-quality for its budget (forcing me to re-appraise my ideas about how much money you need to do a good fantasy show). That is pretty much entirely down to Eric Heisserer, and he managed it despite a lot of people trying to be extra cooks in the kitchen and a relatively tiny budget (according to one of the writers - basically everyone who could have an opinion - the producers and executive producers, the writers of the show, the original book writer all had Strong Opinions on how stuff should play out - Leigh Bardugo is very happy with it though thankfully).

He also adapted Arrival, which got nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar (and with good reason).

So if anyone could make this stuff work, there's a good chance it's him. Bonus that the Witcher/Expanse studio is involved, who are probably experts in stretching a budget and making things look decent too.

 

[univoxs]

I would hope that a TV series is not done through a YA filter.

 

[Dire Bare]

I would hope that a TV series is not done through a YA filter.

Heh, unlikely.

 

[Dire Bare]

I'm cautiously optimistic! I'd love to see a series based on Mage, my favorite of the WoD games.

Can't be worse than 96's "Kindred", that was not a good show.

 

[TwoSix]

I'm cautiously optimistic! I'd love to see a series based on Mage, my favorite of the WoD games.

Can't be worse than 96's "Kindred", that was not a good show.

I can't even imagine how they'd do a Mage show without cutting large swathes of the setting.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I can't even imagine how they'd do a Mage show without cutting large swathes of the setting.

A WoD TV show will likely focus on a mix of characters. I would imagine there will be a protagonist of each of the main types, supporting characters of all the others, and probably push stuff like most of the things mages get up to off to the margins.

If this is oWoD, going straight at Mage would mean trying to do The Matrix while also including vampires and werewolves, which will be hard for audiences new to the material to get their heads around. Better to just have a few obnoxious Order of Hermes types showing up as antagonists/walking deus ex machina occasionally and have a single newbie mage as one of the protagonists. If she was a Hollow One, that would not only be great for the oWoD aesthetic, it would also mean that organized mages would be held off at arms' length by default.

 

[univoxs]

Whose everyone's vote to play Sascha Vykos? How about Tilda Swinton?

 

[Ixal]

Hopefully this turns out better than the video game.
I wonder if the original plan was that they launched around the same time. The question is what will happen now as the video game is basically on hold.

I also wonder which lore they will use, old or new Wod, or mix it as desired, and what parts they will use (Vampires, Werewolves, etc.).