In 2019, it was announced that the works of YA fantasy author, Tamora Pierce, were finally getting the adaptation treatment! Three years, and one pandemic, later and we finally have an update on the production. Sadly, it’s not good news. Tamora Pierce herself posted on her Facebook account earlier this week that the plans had, unfortunately, been cancelled. The post was in response to a fan sharing an old article on the announcement.

For Pierce’s fans, this was the first time they had heard any update on the project, and they responded with disappointment. The initial announcement was made by Deadline. Lionsgate and Playground Entertainment had initially teamed up to create a television adaptation of Pierce’s expansive Tortall universe. The project would have been Playground’s very first step into television production, they are currently most well known for producing the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage play. Colin Callender, Scott Huff, and David A. Stern were set to executive produce the series. The plan was to turn the series into a tent-pole franchise for fantasy-loving viewers.

To those of you who saw a Washington Post article that includes a paragraph that Lions’ Gate is taking on a film version of some of my works, BEWARE! This news is a couple of years old, and that deal fell through. I apologize to the fan who posted it here on one of my Facebook sites–I couldn’t get into the article myself to check it here.

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The Gates to Tortall Are Wide Open

     The Woman Who Rides Like a Man cover by Tamora Pierce

Tamora Pierce’s works currently span in two different universes, Tortall and Emelan. While the books set in Emelan have high praise, Tortall was where her readers were first introduced to her beloved characters. There are currently six different book series set in the fantasy world.

  • The Song of the Lioness The Immortals Protector of the Small Tricksters Beka Cooper The Numair Chronicles

There are also multiple short stories set in Tortall, as well as a guidebook titled A Spy’s Guide to Tortall: From the Desk of George Cooper which gives readers extra information about the world and characters.

Since her career began, Tamora Pierce has grown a strong following of fans. She is most well-known for writing strong young heroines, starting with Song of the Lioness, which followed young Alanna as she battles her way to becoming the first lady knight of Tortall. The first book, Alanna: The First Adventure, was published in 1983 by Atheneum Books.

Her books have gained not just generations of dedicated fans, but also several nominations and awards. In 2013, both The Song of the Lioness and Protector of the Small series won the Margaret Edwards Award, honoring her “significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens for Song of the Lioness quartet and The Protector of the Small quartet.” In 2020, Alanna: The First Adventure was included in Time Magazine’s 100 Best Fantasy Books of all Time.