SDCC 2015: ‘The Shannara Chronicles’ Is Set To Rock MTV
“It seemed impossible. But then, most wonderful things did until someone accomplished them.”— Bek Ohmsford (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Morgawr)
And so it goes with MTV bringing The Shannara Chronicles to cable television in January 2016! It’s a rich and ambitious production that knows it’s entering a post-Game of Thrones TV landscape where expectations are higher than ever for television to rival the production values of films with big budgets. Additionally, keeping with the Game of Thrones comparison, there is a rich tapestry of 25 books and counting from author Terry Brooks’ various series set in the world of Shannara—a post-post-apocalyptic fantasy realm set in the far distant future where magic has resurfaced.
Let’s kick things off with a gander at the Official First Look trailer screened at Comic-Con this year:
Clearly, you’re stoked. I can tell because I’m stoked too. Before we get too far however, it seems that most of us have been pronouncing Shannara wrong all this time—Terry Brooks explains:
This is a case of, “You made your bed, now lie in it.” For years I have insisted readers should pronounce the title in a way that feels natural to them. I have avoided glossaries, insisted majority rules, and watched the larger number of readers pronounce the word SHA-NAR-UH. So when I brought this up in a meeting with the writers, they simply said, “Well, everyone says it SHA-NAR-UH. So we will, too.” End of discussion.
SHANE-AIR-AH? SHAN-ERA? SHH-ANAR-A? Guess we won’t ever know what he actually has in mind unless we’re able to track him down at an official reading or convention.
Sticking with a focus on the show here, if they pull it off well, it’s set to help fill an epic void on television right now that only the afore mentioned Thrones is currently servicing. Before that was Legend of the Seeker, remember that one? For all it’s shortcomings and rough edges, Seeker was the only thing available on television to scratch a very specific itch. Upon its cancellation that fantasy-void felt deeper and darker than ever—until Thrones came along. Holy moly, did it ever come along—with a bang. . . or a chop, or a stab, or a naked. . . Anyway, nothing against Thrones being just what it is—I’m a big fan—but I could use a little more fantasy entertainment with a little more magic to really scratch that itch good. I’m happy to say it’s looking like The Shannara Chronicles is poised to do just that.
Couple quick thoughts on MTV itself: Does no one there remember what the M stands for in MTV? Guess it’s kicking a dead horse to say it’s not “music television” anymore—only bemoaned by those who were alive before 2000 but it still feels like it bears mentioning.
“Between this and Teen Wolf, I guess MTV now stands for ‘Magical Television’!”—Jonathan London, The Original Geekscapist
Along those lines, one request of the network: Squeezing the latest pop songs into Teen Wolf works fine but please don’t do that for this fantasy set show devoid of Auto-Tune, nightclubs and Coachella. Maybe feature some funky classical-type groups, chamber ensembles or really out there orchestras if you wanna do some music tie-ins. I don’t know—what do you guys think?
Wait!—someone get MTV on the line. Maybe these insane freaks are available:
