Sky is developing a drama based on The Dark is Rising fantasy books
Exclusive: Susan Cooper’s five-book series is being adapted for the small screen
Fans of the fantasy book series The Dark is Rising could be in for a treat.
Sky is in the early stages of developing a drama adaptation based on the five children's novels written in the 1960s and 1970s by Susan Cooper, RadioTimes.com can reveal.
The stories chart the life of Will Stanton, who learns on his 11th birthday that he is an "Old One" and thus destined to wield the powers of The Light in an ancient struggle with The Dark.
Word at Sky is that it would make perfect Christmas telly a la Harry Potter – although it won’t be seen this festive season because the project is in the very early stages.
According to sources, the earliest possible air date would be towards the end of 2017, although this is speculative.
It is also not clear whether Sky wants to make a one-off film or a series or which channel it will air on. Sky 1 is understood to be the most likely destination, say sources.
Whatever they do, the end result is likely to be an improvement on the woeful 2007 film adaptation The Seeker: The Dark is Rising (see trailer below). Starring Ian McShane and a certain Christopher Eccleston it attracted poor box office receipts and dire reviews.
Sky declined to comment.
