Discworld Monthly Extra - March 2011
Table of Contents:
1. News from Terry - Good Omens - Australia - Conventions
2. News about a new Discworld Watch TV Series
3. The End
1. News from Terry
An update from Terry via Sandra Kidby's PJSMPrints site -
http://www.pjsmprints.com/news/index.html
"Folks,
There has been a long time between updates, mostly because since early November life has been extremely hectic. A large part of that month being mostly spent clearing snow. And then, for some reason, Christmas seemed twice as long as any other Christmas, but enjoyable nevertheless. And now, since our schedule is always pretty full, the world in general believing that the time of an author is expandable, we have run into a kind of gridlock with far too many obligations and not enough days in the year.
However, Snuff, with Commander Vimes of the City Watch as the main character, is now with the copy editor and I have finished our next documentary with the BBC, which has also required our major involvement since October. We have answered as much mail as we can and as I sit here I see a huge pile of stuff that we will have to work through over the next few weeks, while desperately trying to make progress on my part of the Long Earth.
There has been one hell of a lot of rumours regarding a Good Omens adaptation over the past few weeks, mostly started by me at the SFX Weekender. So, ladies and gentleman, I can hereby exclusively reveal that - YES - Neil and myself have shaken hands and received groats from Rod Brown sealing a TV deal. An official announcement from Prime Focus will follow in a couple of weeks time. However, I can reveal right now that Terry Jones (yes, the Python) and Gavin Scott (not a Python, but he gets it) are already on the job. It's been a long time coming, but it's looking good.
A word about conventions; unless something reasonably disastrous happens, Rob and I will be attending the Australian convention in April and I will be doing other engagements in Oz and New Zealand. I believe that an event advertised in Melbourne has already sold out, in fact, even before we knew the details and I am still unsure of the dates of the one in Sydney, although I do know that it will be at the Opera House. PLEASE do not ask us for tickets! We do not have any! We do not know what they look like! And we wait, with bated breath, whether they will actually let us in.
Again, the second North American convention looks likely, but again, health considerations, acts of god (okay, random fluctuations in the space/time continuum) and Icelandic dust clouds permitting. We intend to get around that by driving to the convention ... don't ask, but it's going to be fun.
I know there are going to be smaller conventions in Germany, Holland, Ireland and I've even heard a rumour of one in Spain. Fortuitously, I will be able (health blah blah blah permitting) to attend the second Irish convention because it is just after a professorial engagement at Trinity College Dublin. I know this will mean an overdose of Guinness, but one has to suffer for his art.
I cannot guarantee attendance at any of the other smaller conventions, simply because no matter what size a convention is, it still pretty much takes up the same amount of my time and there are so many calls on it, least of which involves writing books, that I can't go everywhere. Sorry! But I am not the first person to say that I think it a good idea if people put their heads together and organised a pan-European convention, which would probably be a lot more fun and attract a lot more fans. As it is, we've just returned from a whistle-stop visit to Prague to see the final performance of Maskarada at the Dlouhe theatre. It was absolutely superb and I am hoping that it really wasn't the last one.
We know this doesn't work but we continue to repeat it even though
no one ever takes any notice. PLEASE we would rather you did not
send your own books for signing - as we've said time and again,
signed books are available HERE.
[http://pjsmprints.com/books/index.html - Ed] Especially
difficult are things sent with a deadline, such as 'please sign
this for my husband, whose birthday is next Thursday' which has
been posted second class on Tuesday (you would be amazed...).
Also, Never assume the author is at home or even in the country,
although he might be wishing that he was. And PLEASE do not argue
or try to negotiate with us over this.
I have heard that Professor Roy Jones, Director of the RICE Centre for the past twenty five years and also my Alzheimer's specialist, is celebrating by running the Bath half marathon. RICE has been the recipient of the goodwill of many fannish occasions and they can always do with more. God help him, but Roy's job is to work out if I am normal or not! Please follow us and take a look at his JustGiving page HERE. [http://www.justgiving.com/Professor-Roy-Jones - Ed]
More from me very soon.
Terry Pratchett."
Since Terry wrote this I have received confirmation that Good Omens will be filmed in the UK and Ireland later this year
2. News about a new Discworld Watch TV Series
We've just received this press release hot off the press:
Terry Pratchett's 'The Watch'
11 March 2011:
Sir Terry Pratchett and Rod Brown, Managing Director of Prime Focus Productions, announce that they have come to an agreement for the unprecedented and exclusive worldwide television rights to create brand new storylines for the iconic characters of Pratchett's phenomenally successful Discworld series.
Terry's universal success has seen him create one of the leading fantasy fiction franchises of all time, with 70 million worldwide sales of his 38 book Discworld titles (with a 39th being published in October 2011). Whilst there have been three successful mini series adaptations of his Discworld books made for television in the UK, this is the first time that Pratchett has granted a production company the international rights to his character's and world, for the creation of new stories exclusively for a television audience.
The main focus of the series will be set in the bustling, highly mercantile, largely untrustworthy and always vibrant city of Ankh Morpork and will follow the day-to-day activities of the men, women, trolls, dwarves, vampires and several other species who daily pound its ancient cobbles (and, of course, Igor in the forensics department). Terry commonly refers to the City Watch police force series "the jewels in his Discworld Crown". These richly developed and highly compelling characters will feature in a 'crime of the week' episodic storyline. As each weekly adventure unfolds, viewers will be taken on a ride through Pratchett's genius imagination, with the author overseeing the creation of the series, where wild and exciting encounters with werewolves, dragons, dwarfs, trolls and golems and the classic heroes and villains, are an everyday occurrence... many of whom even make outstanding crime fighters!
Rod Brown, Managing Director of Prime Focus Productions said, "I believe that the globally successful Discworld franchise will readily translate to the small screen in the form of a high-end, mass appeal weekly drama series. It will give the audience the anticipation and excitement of brand new Discworld stories every week through the medium of television, rather than books. It's a huge responsibility to get this right for Terry, his legions of Discworld fans and the new followers to his work that we will attract along the way, but I believe they will be in for a treat with a high calibre writing team already attached, including 'Monty Python's' Terry Jones and Gavin Scott (Small Soldiers, The Borrowers). We have already spoken to a number of international broadcasters who have shown early interest and we hope to move forward very quickly to bring this exciting project to fruition".
Sir Terry Pratchett said, "I'm very excited! I really am incredibly happy about this because Rod was part head of the team that produced the very successful Sky One adaptations and my message of encouragement to him now is; don't bugger it up!"
3. The End
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