Stephen Colbert is joining Robert Kirkman‘s Skybound Entertainment to adapt Roger Zelazny’s seminal fantasy novel The Chronicles of Amber into a series.
Colbert will now serve as executive producer under his Spartina production banner alongside Skybound Entertainment and Vincent Newman Entertainment for the adaptation, which was initially announced in 2016. The Chronicles of Amber is widely known as an inspiration for author George R.R. Martin, who was friends with Zelazny until he died in 1995 and has advocated for an adaptation for some time.
Martin recently stated on his blog: “I am a fantasy fan, and I want more fantasy on television… Most of all, I want Roger Zelazny’s Nine Princes in Amber. I will never understand why Corwin and his siblings are not starring in their own show. And hey, if epic fantasy continues to do well, maybe we will finally get that. A boy can dream.”
Colbert responded, “George R.R. Martin and I have similar dreams. I’ve carried the story of Corwin in my head for over 40 years, and I’m thrilled to partner with Skybound and Vincent Newman to bring these worlds to life. All roads lead to Amber, and I’m happy to be walking them.”
The Chronicles of Amber, first published in 1970, follows Corwin, “who awakens on Earth with no memory, but soon finds he is a prince of a royal family that has the ability to travel through different dimensions of reality (called “shadows”) and rules over the one true world, Amber. The story unfolds over ten books with two story arcs: “The Corwin Cycle” and “The Merlin Cycle.” The series of books have sold more than fifteen million copies globally.
“Adapting one of my favorite book series of all time is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream,” added David Alpert, CEO of Skybound Entertainment. “Producing it alongside someone like Stephen Colbert, who is a true-blue super fan, is a thrill for me, and will be for anyone who’s ever listened to Stephen talk about fantasy. We can’t wait to share this amazing story both with the legion of current fans like ourselves and a new generation of fans that will undoubtedly fall for Amber.”
The producing team will soon begin the search for a writer. No distributor has been announced, but Spartina has a first-look deal with CBS Studios.
