Lionsgate adapting Tamora Pierce's Tortall Universe into a series—a very, very long one, we imagine

By Randall Colburn | November 1, 2019 | 5:06pm

Aux Features TV

Lionsgate adapting Tamora Pierce's Tortall Universe into a series—a very, very long one, we imagine

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Tamora Pierce is one of the most prolific YA fantasy authors of all time, having penned a veritable stack of tomes since her Song Of The Lioness quartet was first published in 1983. An adaptation of the author’s Tortall Universe has been a long time coming, but its sheer size has no doubt been daunting. Now, however, Deadline has announced that Lionsgate and Playground Entertainment—the company behind the Harry Potter And The Cursed Child stage play—are committed to turning it into a series, all 22 books and short stories of it.

Set in the fantasy world of Tortall, the series spans decades and explores a number of female warriors as they angle for a place in a knighthood that doesn’t welcome them. At the center of it all is Alanna the Lioness, who we follow from a young knight to a wise mentor. Way ahead of its time in the realm of fantasy literature, Pierce’s saga touches on themes of feminism, diversity, and class politics while also providing a nuanced portrait of living with PTSD. The series is built from a number of quartets and duets, including Song Of The Lioness, The Immortals, and Protector Of The Small.