The production company Skydance has bought the adaptation rights to the 19-book Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan in the hopes of turning it into a multi-movie franchise, starting by adapting the first two books into a live-action movie. Flanagan will be executive producer, and Ted Melfi will direct, adapt, and produce.
Melfi told Deadline, “The Rangers Apprentice and its focus on a group of orphans trying to figure out their purpose in the world is timeless, touching and cinematic. It’s exciting to have the opportunity to adapt it for the big screen.”
The series follows Will, an orphan who becomes the Ranger Halt’s apprentice, serving the king to protect the Kingdom of Araluen.
The series was first picked up for adaptation by Warner Bros. in 2008, but the movie was never made. In 2019, it was announced that the series would be made into a TV show by Dick Cook Studios, but Covid-19 halted production, and the project was eventually dropped. Hopefully this will be the first adaptation to make it to the screen.