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Fox Grabs Rights to 'The Fourth Realm Trilogy' Sci-Fi Series

by Ethan Anderton
February 22, 2010

Toss this one onto the ever-growing pile of adaptations from intriguing science fiction novels, as THR reports that Fox has picked up the rights to John Twelve Hawks' series of novels known as The Fourth Realm Trilogy, with Watchmen co-writer Alex Tse set to write the script. Compared to Star Wars and The Matrix (two insanely popular franchises, go figure) the first book, The Traveler, is set in a US society run by a secret organization seeking to control the population via constant observation. Seeking to rebel against these constraints are an almost extinct group of people called Travelers. So I guess it's like Matrix after all.

These Travelers can project their spirit into other dimensions, and their protectors, called Harlequins. The focus of the story is on a Harlequin named Maya who must protect two naive Traveler brothers. Surely this is being set-up to be the first in a franchise with the other two books, The Dark River and The Golden City will surely follow depending on the success of the first. If the first premise is any indicator, this certainly has the potential to be a kick-ass franchise, but I haven't read any of the books. Anyone else read any of these?

Aside from an intriguing concept, perhaps the most interesting detail about this is that the author, Hawks, is extremely reclusive and according to Random House, his editor and his agent haven't even met him. Even more extreme, the author only communicates through a voice scrambler and untraceable satellite phone and stand-ins during book tours. The author could be at the center of a movie himself, maybe as a time traveler writing of a potential future we're doomed to see, unless an inciting incident in our present is prevented. Are you listening Hollywood? Oh, you already have a third Chipmunks movie lined up? Well then I won't bother.

Explore tags: Movie News, Opinions

Craig

Cancelled by episode 13 - it's with Fox after all!
http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington

Craig I don't think this is going to be a TV series, it's being adapted into a movie franchise.
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2408/blackbabyjesus.gif Crapola

This sounds quite good, the author sounds like a right comedian though, voice scrambler and stand ins, he he he, I bet he still lives at home with his mum and dad.
http://www.genreaddict.com Darren Albert

This is all so interesting, from details of the author right through to the premise of the trilogy. The author sounds cool to me and not like a comedian. I'll bet he lives the way he does because he can't stand people and doesn't want to know about it all. "It's the stink, you see."
DEADPOOL,MERC WITH A MOUTH

this sounds rather cool hopefully fox don't balls this up like they do with every other franchise they own,the auther,personally i think that he is the most intresting part of this article.how cool does his life sound voice scrambling,satellite phones & stand ins excellent.
http://equustel.livejournal.com equustel

I tried reading the first book, but the writing was so far up its own ass I couldn't get through it. Perhaps a movie would solve this problem and allow me to really enjoy the concept(s).
Lyth

I read the book. I felt it was average. I could have easily put it down and never picked it back up again several times, but I persevered. The entire concept is simply 'living off the grid'. It was a little foolish at times. Made me giggle. After reading the book, I'm not surprised that the author lives that way. In fact, I expect it. I wouldn't be too excited for this movie, it'll probably be another of those "ho-hum" flicks that lasts 3 weeks in theaters.
Bradhadiar

These books are amazing and I really hope they don't turn it into a film series. They always manage to ruin books when they do this.