MTV and Sonar adapting Terry Brooks’ Shannara

MTV and Sonar Entertainment will develop a TV series based on Terry Brooks’ bestselling Shannara fantasy novel series.

Actor and director Jon Favreau will direct and exec produce the project with Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar on writing and exec producer duties.

Terry Brooks will also exec produce if the series makes it out of development and is taken to series.

The Shannara books are the best selling fantasy novel series in the world to not have had the movie or TV adaptation treatment.

The books are set thousands of years after the end of our civilisation and follow the Shannara family, whose descendants are empowered with ancient magic and whose adventures reshape the future of the world.

Should the show go to series, producers plan to base the show’s first season on The Elfstones of Shannara, the second book in the original trilogy of books.

President of MTV programming Susanne Daniels said: “We feel that the Shannara novels are a perfect fit for MTV as this type of fantasy genre has continuously proved to resonate with our audience.”

Sonar Entertainment CEO Stewart Till added: “This collaboration with MTV, combined with the amazing creative talent attached to this project, including our existing relationship with Terry Brooks and Dan Farah of Farah Films, gives us tremendous confidence that we have a potential hit property with appeal to audiences worldwide.”