Stephen King’s 1984 novel The Eyes Of The Dragon is being developed as a pilot at Hulu and, honestly, how the hell did it take this long? It’s not one of King’s most popular properties, having never been adapted for film or TV, but it is a fantasy epic geared toward young audiences, which, when paired with King’s name, sounds right in line with culture’s current obsessions.
Deadline reports that Seth Grahame-Smith, who produced King’s It and co-wrote The Lego Batman Movie, wrote the pilot and will serve as showrunner should it go to series. Hulu, meanwhile, is a great fit, having produced the solid 11/22/63 miniseries in addition to the promising, King-adjacent Castle Rock.
“I am so excited to be working in the world of Stephen King with with Hulu, which has such a terrific track record with Stephen King adaptations,” Grahame-Smith said. “The goal for this series is to feel unlike any Stephen King adaptation before, with this rich underlying source material, and the only true fantasy book he wrote that has kings and swords and princesses. We will honor the spirit of the book and the legacy.”
King’s novel, originally titled The Napkins, isn’t as thick as his other work—or that of fantasy titans like George R.R. Martin—but there’s plenty to draw from. Set in the fictional realm of Delain, the tale is built around two princes and the conniving magician who manipulates them in an effort to destroy their royal family. Mythological creatures abound, as do connections to the larger universe of King’s work—the magician’s name is Flagg, which you recognize from The Stand the Dark Tower series. Written for his children, the book doubled as an opportunity for King to establish himself as something other than a horror writer. Fans were none too pleased, but many eventually came around to the story’s many charms.
It’ll likely be a while until it hits the streamer, which recently fell under the operational hand of Disney, but there’s plenty of other King adaptations on the way, from It: Chapter Two and James Wan’s Salem’s Lot to HBO’s The Outsider, Amazon’s Dark Tower, and J.J. Abrams’ Lisey’s Story.