‘Final Fantasy XIV’ Live-Action TV Series In Development!
Another iconic video game is making its way to tv, as Sony Pictures Television and Hivemind, the production company behind Amazon’s ‘The Expanse’, and Netflix’s much-anticipated adaptation of ‘The Witcher’, announce a live-action take on ‘Final Fantasy XIV’, in partnership with video game developer Square Enix.
The live-action television series will tell an original story set in the fantastic world of Eorzea, based on ‘Final Fantasy XIV’, the franchise’s blockbuster online role-playing game which has sold more than 144 million units worldwide across three decades. Since it first debuted in 2013, the online title has continued to delight and amass millions of players around the world year over year and only further cemented ‘Final Fantasy’ as one of the most storied and influential franchises in gaming history.
Inspired directly by the world and characters of the title’s fourteenth instalment, the project will embrace the bold and genre-bending sensibilities of the revered and long-running ‘Final Fantasy’ series as it explores the struggle between magic and technology in a quest to bring peace to a land in conflict. Filled with iconic hallmarks of the title’s revered mythology – magitek and beastmen, airships and chocobos – the forthcoming series will feature a mixture of new and familiar faces. Those will, notably, include the live-action debut of Cid – one of the games’ central and most beloved characters who has appeared in almost every instalment of the franchise to date.
“‘Final Fantasy XIV’ and Eorzea are the perfect gateway into ‘Final Fantasy’ for longtime fans and newcomers alike,” commented Sony Pictures Television Co-President Chris Parnell. “This show is about embracing and embodying all of the elements that have made the mythos such an endlessly captivating phenomenon, and it’s an immense honour to be bringing all of Eorzea’s iconic characters, settings, and concepts – including fan-favourites like Cid and, of course, the chocobos – to life for a television audience.”
“Television is the ideal medium to capture the extraordinary depth, sophisticated themes, and unparalleled imagination of ‘Final Fantasy’ and its multitude of unique and fully realized characters,” adds Jason Brown, Hivemind Co-Founder and Co-President. “We are working tirelessly to bring together artists from around the world who are united in honouring the extraordinary legacy of this franchise and its millions of fans around the world.”
‘Final Fantasy’s multibillion-dollar legacy is one of the most influential pieces of global pop culture of the past 30 years with a footprint that now encompasses all major home and handheld consoles, as well as toys, card games, manga, soundtracks, concerts and live events on three continents. The upcoming television adaptation represents a momentous new milestone for the franchise and will mark the first time a ‘Final Fantasy’ world – and its many beloved inhabitants – will be realized in live action.
Along with ‘Final Fantasy’, ‘The Expanse’ and ‘The Witcher’, Hivemind is also producing the feature film ‘Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark’, based on the best-selling book series, from producer/co-writer Guillermo del Toro and director André Øvredal, which arrives in theatres on 9th August 2019. Hivemind also recently signed a first-look deal with Amazon Studios for event television, and its leadership team includes former Universal Pictures president Sean Daniel, his producing partner Jason Brown, Bad Robot veteran Kathy Lingg, and former Valiant Entertainment CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani.
No news on when or where the ‘Final Fantasy’ series will land, although, presumably Amazon Prime is a possibility given the deal Hivemind have in place. We’ll let you know when we hear more.
