Yeah, I'm not thrilled by the article treating "not changing anything from the books" as a recipe for success, mostly because I'm sick to death of "WAAAAAH, they changed it so its RUIIIINNED" fanboy entitlement and knee-jerk worship of the status quo in general. I'm also not thrilled about Fox doing it, because a) their news division is basically Quislings Incorporated, and b) Fox has a reputation of being the place where promising speculative fiction shows go to die. Still, I'll give the show a chance, if it happens.The time has come to summon another Dresden Files TV series. The fantasy-mystery series created by Jim Butcher previously hit the small screen in the form of a now-cancelled Sci-Fi Channel TV show. Now, Fox21 Television Studios have optioned the rights to attempt to bring Butcher’s books to life again. The book series follows private investigator/wizard Harry Dresden as he investigates supernatural goings-on in Chicago.
Deadline reports Fox21 Television Studios is working to turn The Dresden Files into yet another TV show. The book series by Jim Butcher kicked-off in 2000 with Storm Front. Since then, Butcher has penned 15 novels within the Dresden universe, as well as a wealth of short stories. There have also been graphic novels and a roleplaying game. And yes, there already was a Dresden Files TV series, which ran for one season in 2007.
Dresden Files TV Series
In the Dresden Files, magic is real, and so are vampires, demons, ghosts, faeries, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. Harry Dresden is “the world’s only consulting wizard, accepting supernatural cases from both human and nonhuman clients, as well as the Chicago PD’s Special Investigation unit. As the series progresses, Dresden takes on an increasingly important role in the supernatural world at large, as he works to protect the general public, making getting by as a working wizard and private investigator difficult for him. He finds himself facing off against an increasing variety of creatures (including other wizards), while facing the realization that his various cases may all be tied together behind the scenes and that his role might be even greater than he is willing to admit.”
Other details from the books: “Large portions of the globe (such as much of Central and South America) are mentioned as being largely under the control of supernatural factions. The White Council is an organization of human wizards, noted to wield significant economic power in the world, along with their supernatural power. Each species in the series (humans, faeries, vampires, etc.) has its own political and societal rules and organizations. The human wizards depend on the White Council, while faeries may belong to either of two Faerie Courts, or none at all. Vampires may belong to any of four vampire courts.”
All of this sounds perfect for a TV series, which is probably what the producers of the previous TV series (one of whom was Nicolas Cage!) thought as well. That said, the 2007 show differed significantly from Butcher’s novels. “The show is not the books,” the author said. “It is not meant to follow the same story. It is meant as an alternate world, where the overall background and story-world is similar, but not all the same things happen. The show is not attempting to recreate the books on a chapter-by-chapter or even story-by-story basis.” Perhaps this new series will stick closer to the source material? And perhaps that will ensure success where the previous incarnation failed? Time will tell.
Ultimately, I look for the same things as I would in any series: continuity/consistent plot/character development, subtlety, a likeable protagonist, good actors, visuals, and music, a sense of believability to the story/characters/world, and an ability to evoke genuine emotion in the audience.
For Dresden specifically, I basically have just three wishes:
-That the cast someone as Harry who can embody the different aspects of his personality effectively: that being that he's an ordinary blue-collar (even somewhat geeky/awkward) guy, who turns into a terrifying force of nature when those he cares about are threatened. That he is tempted by darkness (both for selfish reasons and in the interests of the "greater good" and is in a constant tug of war between the temptation to embrace power and the need to preserve his own identity. And, of course, that he is a wise ass.
-That they have Michael (or a similar character) to act as the foil/straight man for Harry. The absence of this was the greatest failure of the previous show, in my opinion.
-That they do a better job of handling their female characters than Butcher has at times (to be fair, some of the objectification of women in the series is just because its written from Harry's POV, not necessarily reflective of Butcher's views, but there's no excuse for sidelining Murphy in Skin Game).
-That they can capture the epic scope of the action. I have a lot more confidence that TV can do this now, with Game of Thrones as a precedent. But the studio needs to be willing to invest in the budget and talent to make it happen.
