Tribune Learns Wizard's First Rule
Disney-ABC Domestic Television, Sam Raimi Developing Live-Action Adaptation of Terry Goodkind’s The Sword of Truth Fantasy Series
By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/29/2008 3:53:00 PM
Tribune already cleared Disney-ABC Domestic Television's Wizard's First Rule, a new weekly fantasy hour produced by Spider-Man executive producer Sam Raimi and adapted from Terry Goodkind's best-selling series, for fall 2008.
The deal reunites Tribune with the creative forces that brought to syndication Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, the last successful first-run weekly hours.
Wizard's First Rule will be produced by ABC Studios, with work on the 22 episodes starting this May. The venture marks the studio's first venture into broadcast syndication. Raimi, Robert Tapert (The Grudge, Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys), Joshua Donen (The Quick and the Dead) and Ned Nalle (production executive for Xena and Hercules) will all serve as executive producers.
Tribune represents 35% of the country and seven of the top 10 markets, including WPIX New York; KTLA Los Angeles; WGN Chicago; WPHL Philadelphia; KDAF Dallas; WDCW Washington, D.C.; KHCW Houston; KCPQ/KMYQ Seattle; WSFL Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; KWGN Denver; KTXL Sacramento-Stockton- Modesto, Calif.; KPLR St. Louis; KRCW Portland, Ore.; WTTV/WXIN Indianapolis; KSWB San Diego; WTIC/WTXX Hartford-New Haven;, Conn. WXMI Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, Mich.; WPMT Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York, Pa.; and WGNO/WNOL New Orleans.
Goodkind's popular epic fantasy series, The Sword of Truth, is comprised of 11 international best-sellers that have been translated into more than 20 languages. Goodkind's first installment, Wizard's First Rule, was first published in 1994.
