Myst's universe to unfold across TV series, movies, and, apparently, "unscripted content"
Paging Mia Farrow: Deadline reports that Myst, the iconic 1993 PC game you probably quit after being stumped by the first puzzle, will be expanded into a “multi-platform universe including film, scripted, and unscripted television content.” Yes, we’re as curious as you are regarding the “unscripted” aspect, though we wouldn’t not love a high-stakes quiz show delving into the game’s labyrinthian mythology. Or, you know, a podcast.
Hulu previously gave a Myst TV series from Legendary a “script-to-series commitment”—one we posited might look a lot like Lost—but that project appears to have stalled. Village Roadshow Entertainment Group has now acquired the rights, and it sounds as if they’ll try and unpack the breadth of the Myst saga, which, through books and games, unfolds across 10,000 years of history. Adapting it will be a puzzle unto itself.
The story, if you’re unfamiliar, centers around Atrus, the grandson of a woman who discovered the mystical D’ni civilization, who themselves create books that link to other worlds. Village Roadshow is developing the franchise with Myst co-creator Rand Miller, who, in 2016, spoke to The A.V. Club about the state of the series.
“[W]e’re farther along now than we’ve been in a long time,” he said at the time. “Hopefully, at some point in the future, things start to snowball as things are connected and attached and stories develop a little more. It’s an exciting thing. It’s hard to get your hopes up, because I don’t know the intricacies of Hollywood, but it’s fun to look forward to.”