Showtime is producing a prequel series to Patrick Rothfuss’ The Kingkiller Chronicle, set a “generation before” the events of the first novel in the trilogy, The Name of the Wind. It was announced last year that Lin-Manuel Miranda would both produce and write music for film and TV adaptations of The Kingkiller Chronicle, making this Showtime series the first in a “collaborative franchise” in development at Lionsgate.
The Showtime press release announces other collaborators working with Miranda, including showrunner John Rogers (Leverage, The Librarians) and Executive Producers Robert Lawrence (Clueless) and Jennifer Court (The Player). But more intriguing than the talent involved are the hints pointing to the show’s content. The plans for a sprawling fantasy franchise are being laid.
The Name of the Wind, The Wise Man’s Fear and the unreleased third novel in The Kingkiller Chronicle, tentatively titled The Doors of Stone, will form the backbone of a movie series (though the press release only mentions a single “major feature film” currently in development). With the book adaptations coming to theaters, what can we expect from the series? Here’s Showtime’s description:
“ Set in the world of the wildly 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 of legendary proportions set a generation before the events of the trilogy's first novel, The Name of the Wind.”
While there’s little definite in that description, readers of The Kingkiller Chronicle can probably fill in some blanks. “Wandering performers” can only mean one thing in Temerant: Edema Ruh. A nomadic culture with no homeland, the Edema Ruh are known as travelling performers: actors, musicians and storytellers. Though towns look forward to visits from an Edema Ruh troupe, they’re largely outcasts, with an unsavory reputation.
So who is this pair of wandering performers? The most likely answer is that the Showtime series will follow Kvothe’s parents, Arliden and Laurian, the literal “generation before.” Kvothe (pronounced “quothe”) is both the hero and narrator of The Kingkiller Chronicle, each novel in the series based on Kvothe recounting his life to a famous Chronicler in the Waystone Inn, where Kvothe is hiding under the name Kote. It’s not yet clear why Kvothe is in hiding or how much readers should trust his retellings of his many adventures. But we do know Kvothe has spent his whole life hunting for The Chandrian, a near-mythical group of seven powerful magic beings, who spread death wherever they appear (likely the “terrifying dark forces” described in the press release).
Which brings us back to Arliden and Laurian. We don’t know much of their adventures, though Laurian comes from a noble family, which she abandoned to run off with Arliden and his Edema Ruh troupe. At some point, Arliden made the terrible mistake of writing a song about the Chandrian, eventually bringing down their wrath upon the entire troupe. Only Kvothe survives, becoming a street urchin in the city of Tarbean, the beginning of his adventures.
There’s nothing in the Showtime release to confirm that The Kingkiller Chronicle TV series will follow Arliden and Laurian, but it’s definitely the explanation that best fits the description. There’s not yet a release date for the show, movie, or for that matter, the third book in The Kingkiller Chronicle trilogy. Hopefully the series won’t encounter the same problem as Game of Thrones, where the adaptations eventually outpaced the source material. Come on, Rothfuss, we believe in you!
