Zoic Studios, the VFX firm behind The Twilight Zone and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, is adapting epic fantasy novel Soleri as it makes a push into original content. The company has optioned the rights to the New York Times bestseller, written by Michael Johnston, for film and TV. The book, which is inspired by ancient Egyptian and Roman history and King Lear, was published in 2017 by Tor.
The book, which is the first in a series of novels, follows the Soleri, god-like creatures who have ruled for thousands of years. However, no living person has seen the Soleri for centuries. When a dark portent appears in the sky, it sets into motion a power struggle that weakens the Soleri’s control of their empire. A weak king is made Emperor. Enemies abound, he must also face the dominion of his estranged wife, the Mother Priestess of the Cult of the Sun as well as their three children, the banished son, the overlooked daughter and the power-hungry princess, all divided by their loyalties, ruthless and wish a lust for the throne, all who have the ability to save or destroy the empire and civilization.
Zoic founding partners Chris Jones and Loni Peristere and VP of Development Samantha Shear will oversee the creative development of Soleri with more creative partners to come on board. “We’re thrilled to be working with such a solid narrative foundation as offered by the Soleri series. Zoic has built a foundation on great storytelling and Michael’s strong character and rich themes make this a perfect partnership to produce an amazing project,” said Jones.
