Character breakdowns have emerged for Disney and Ridley Scott’s Merlin Saga adaptation, which may start filming this fall.
Written by Peter Jackson’s longtime collaborator Philippa Boyens (who co-wrote both the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies), Merlin Saga is based on T.A. Barron’s 12-book series about the younger Merlin’s adventures, prior to his time mentoring (King) Arthur.
HN Entertainment has obtained character breakdowns for Merlin Saga and reports that Scott is aiming to begin production sometime this fall, shortly after he finishes on Raised By Wolves. Those who’ve read Barron’s first Merlin novel (which is titled Merlin Book 1: The Lost Years) will recognize these names and details, most of which aren’t too different from the original literary versions:
EMRYS (MALE LEAD 12-15). Caucasian. The boy who would become the legendary wizard Merlin. Emotionally erratic. Eccentric. Prone to wild mood swings. Brilliant. Sometimes, he is calm and controlled, thoughtful, with a hint of mad whimsy.
BRANWEN (FEMALE LEAD 30-40): Caucasian. Emrys’ mother.
RHIANNON (FEMALE LEAD 12-20): Open to any ethnicity. Seeks Emrys’ assistance in stopping a terrible blight which is now beginning to kill the forest she lives in.
SHIM (MALE LEAD 20-40): Open to any ethnicity. A dwarf-sized giant, befriend Emrys.
RHITA GAWR (FEMALE LEAD 30-50): Open to any ethnicity. An evil spirit who wants to control Fincayra before moving on to Earth. Enemy to Emrys, the film’s villain.
Five books were published between 1996 and 2000, followed by the Great Tree of Avalon trilogy between 2004 and 2007 and the Merlin’s Dragon trilogy between 2008 and 2010. A companion book, The Book of Magic, was released in 2011.
