Another great fantasy series is on its way to become a TV animated series. Deadline reports that FOX is working on a new one-hour drama series based on Wendy and Richard Pini’s popular Elfquest series, which was first published in 1978. Susan Hurwitz Arneson (South Park, The Tick, Preacher, Middlemost Post) is the showrunner, writer and exec producer, and Rodney Rothman (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) and former MGM exec Adam Rosenberg are exec producing. Fox Entertainment-owned Bento Box Entertainment will produce the animation.
Published by Dark Horse Comics, Elfquest follows the fantastic adventures of the wild descendants of alien shapeshifters who have crashed on an Earth-like planet. The graphic novels begin with the wolf-riding elves who are burned out of their forest by revenge-seeking humans. As they discover other creatures like them, they ultimately learn of their origins and their right to live freely. The comics are widely acclaimed for their unique art and memorable characters, as well as being a pioneer in representation of women, people of color and LGBTQ characters.
“Wendy and Richard created and sustained one of the most successful independent comics of all time,” said Rothman. “It’s vividly influenced many of our favorite movies and creators. Along with Susan Arneson, we see their achievement as a perfect jumping off point to explore how post-Spider-Verse animation can take the fantasy genre someplace we haven’t seen before. If you’re an artist who this speaks to, let us know. We’re looking for you.”
“I’ve always said it would take something very special to bring me back to animation,” Arneson noted. “I don’t think it gets more special than Elfquest. I’m so thrilled to be a part of the legacy of this beautiful epic.”
Throughout the years, several attempts were made to bring the popular series to TV and movies, but none came to fruition. In 1982, the Pinis announced that they had been in talks with Nelvana to produce an animated film based on their property, and in 2008, Warner Bros announced plans to bring the saga to the big screen with Rawson Thurber attached as writer and director, but eventually project was deemed too similar to the studio’s other hot fantasy epic, The Lord of the Rings.
Source: Deadline.com
