Following the huge success of his Broadway musical Hamilton, as well as the more recent success of the Disney film Moana, for which he wrote music, Lin-Manuel Miranda seems to have his finger on the pulse of the industry. He’s the hot new commodity who can pretty much do whatever he wants at this point. With his involvement in such films as Mary Poppins Returns and an unspecified animated project with Zootopia co-director Byron Howard, it’s very clear that he’s exercising his new place in the industry.

Well, it sounds like he’s extending his reach even further into the fantasy realm. According to a report from Variety, Miranda has now signed on as creative producer on the film and TV adaptations of author Patrick Rothfuss’ fantasy book series Kingkiller Chronicle. Also tapped as creative producer is Rothfuss himself.

Creative producer definitely seems like quite the strange title. In Hollywood, there tend to be a lot of strange job names, but according to the report, Miranda responsibilities include the option to be involved in any future stage productions of the franchise, producing the franchise (though to what lengths his producing power extends isn’t quite clear), and composing original music and songs.

On board to write the film’s script is Lindsey Beer, who most recently had a hand in the upcoming Transformers: The Last Knight script. As expected, the first film will be an adaptation of the first book in the series, The Name of the Wind.

Miranda had the following to say about this announcement:

“Pat Rothfuss’ Kingkiller books are among the most read and re-read in our home. It’s a world you want to spend lifetimes in, as his many fans will attest. Pat also writes about the act of making music more beautifully than any novelist I’ve ever read. I can’t wait to play a part in bringing this world to life onscreen.”

The real exciting part about this announcement, in addition to the talent involved, as to do with its format. From the sound of it, they plan to have this franchise span both TV and film, similar to what the upcoming Dark Tower series is setting out to do (a project that went from film to TV to both to film to both, again). Given the inflating spectacle of film, and the enhanced storytelling prowess of modern TV, it sure feels like a great fit to me.

Regarding this aspect of the adaptation, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president Erik Feig stated:

“The best way to service Pat Rothfuss’ unique and ambitious view was to invent a new way of adapting it with Lionsgate’s film and television teams working side-by-side, which meant that only a multi-hyphenate talent like Lin-Manuel Miranda could do the job. Lin is an incomparable talent and a huge fan of the trilogy and, working closely with Pat, his creative oversight of the franchise will bring an incredible level of detail and continuity to all of the projects.”

For those unfamiliar with the Kingkiller Chronicle, the synopsis for the first book in the series, The Name of the Wind, is below (via Amazon):

“The riveting first-person narrative of a young man who grows to be the most notorious magician his world has ever seen. From his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime- ridden city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that transports readers into the body and mind of a wizard. It is a high-action novel written with a poet’s hand, a powerful coming-of-age story of a magically gifted young man, told through his eyes: to read this book is to be the hero.”

We’ll be keeping a careful eye on this project as it develops, but what do you think of this news of Miranda joining in on a less musically-related project? While Miranda is more well known for his musical prowess, there is no denying that Hamilton contains a real storytelling skill, and as such, I can see his breadth of skills being utilized beautifully for a project that is as epic in scope as The Kingkiller Chronicle.

Let us know your thoughts down below!

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SOURCE: Variety