Set to be published July 16, The Bright Sword is described as “the first major Arthurian epic of the new millennium steeped in tradition, full of duels and quests, battles and tournaments, magic swords and Fisher Kings.”
The search is underway for a showrunner to produce the potential series alongside Grossman (pictured, right) and Erwin Stoff (pictured, left) of 3 Arts Entertainment.
The Bright Sword follows a talented young knight named Collum who arrives in Camelot to compete for a place at the Round Table, only to find out he is too late. King Arthur is dead and only a handful of Knights of the Round Table survive. They are the outsiders of the Round Table and this group sets out to rebuild Camelot in a world that has fallen out of balance.
It's up to Collum and his companions to reclaim Excalibur, solve the mysteries of this shattered world, and make the world whole again. But first they must discover the truth about why the lonely, brilliant King Arthur fell.
“My ambition with The Bright Sword was to completely reimagine the legend of King Arthur – to make it fresh, relevant and diverse, while at the same time hanging onto all the classic elements that fans like me love,” said Grossman. “I’ve worked with Erwin before so when he threw his hat in the ring, I knew he was exactly the right person to bring The Bright Sword to the screen. I’ve seen the incredible integrity, intelligence and effectiveness he brings to his work – he has that obsession with great storytelling and great characters that makes a project like this sing.”
Grossman is best known as the author of the bestselling The Magicians trilogy - The Magicians, The Magician King and The Magician's Land - which was adapted into the hit Syfy television series. He also wrote the children's novels The Silver Arrow and its sequel The Golden Swift, as well as the screenplay for the 2021 film The Map of Tiny Perfect Things.
Grossman and Stoff previously worked together on the adaptation of The Silver Arrow. Although that project didn't sell, the two enjoyed working together.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Lev on this epic series,” said Stoff, Partner, 3 Arts Entertainment. “He has a proven talent for crafting compelling, imaginative stories that captivate audiences. With The Bright Sword already receiving incredible early reviews, we’re excited to bring this eagerly awaited novel to life on screen.”
Stoff is executive producer of several series, including Lionsgate Television's The Serpent Queen and The Hunting Wives for Starz, as well as Blue Eye Samurai for Netflix and Doc for Fox. He also produces the action-adventure film Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die directed by Gore Verbinski.
3 Arts is majority owned by Lionsgate, which increased its majority stake in the management and production company in November.
The Bright Sword joins other recently announced high-profile series in development at Lionsgate Television, including hostage drama The Envoy from The Rookie creator Alexi Hawley, a series based on the gambling scandal surrounding LA Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and an English-language adaptation from Park Chan -wook's movie Oldboy.