Lin-Manuel Miranda's Kingkiller Chronicle abdicates throne at Showtime

The Kingkiller Chronicle, an adaptation of Pat Rothfuss’ fantasy novels unexpectedly spearheaded by executive producer and Broadway superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda, has been dumped by Showtime after the network won it in an intense bidding war back in 2017. Now the still in-development drama about troubadour/adventurer Kvothe is back in the hands of its producers, Lionsgate, and back on the market — with Apple among the potential buyers being shown John Rogers’ pilot script.

This information comes courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, which notes Rogers would serve as showrunner if/when the series finds a home, while Miranda would compose music for the series — a big get if your high fantasy is about traveling bards rather than elven armies or an Iron Throne. That said, the premise at the time of Showtime’s big win was that the show would be a prequel taking place long before the series’ first book, The Name of the Wind.

This was supposed to tie into the films that would be more of a direct adaptation of the books, which Sam Raimi was in contention to lead (at least back in 2018). Miranda would be in charge of music for the movies as well. A whole Kingkiller universe was planned...and now the network has shoved the property off its throne, which is now probably occupied by the biggest franchise on campus, Halo.

The Kingkiller Chronicle’s availability may be seen as a boon among networks and streaming services looking to compete with HBO’s now-numerous Game of Thrones prequels in development. Amazon has Lord of the Rings and The Wheel of Time. A24 has Earthsea. Netflix has The Witcher. His Dark Materials and Discworld are getting their own adaptations. The hunt for the next big fantasy epic is well underway. Now there’s a beloved, bestselling series up for grabs — and someone will certainly be grabbing it soon.