With many fans ready to write Netflix's The wizard shut down before the next season even aired because of WizardWith pacing and plot struggles, and many other fantasy shows struggling to gain a foothold for similar reasons, it's time to wonder which series the major streaming platforms will pick up in hopes of finding the next blockbuster adaptation. A particularly ideal candidate is an Australian fantasy novel series that will turn 30 in 2025: Sabriel.
Fantasy is having a moment right now, in both positive and negative ways, thanks in large part to Netflix. Netflix was the first streamer to bet on adapting fantasy book seriesas Shadow and Bone, Cursed, Sandmanand others. However, Netflix was also quick to kill these same series, canceling shows even as beloved and successful as Shadow and Bone. Still, it looks like Netflix is still on top of the fantasy game, with the newly acquired Mercury adaptation is a promising substitute for The wizard. Still, there's an even better fantasy adaptation for Netflix to turn to if The wizard disappears.
Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series has everything The Witcher does and more
Magic, swords, monsters, bets for the end of the world and a wise companion
Garth Nix The Old Kingdom series, known as Abhorsen in North America, it's a notable example of the genre, packed with all the ingredients for a successful streaming series. The Old Kingdom series begins with a trilogy of books – Sabriel, Liraeland Abhorsen – which follow the eponymous Sabriel and her family as she takes on the heavy mantle of her ancestors and becomes the Abhorsen, the sole defender of the Realm against the predations of the horrible, restless Dead and other twisted constructs of Free Magic. Using the dark art of necromancy, Sabriel must face the Dead as they attempt to destroy the Kingdom once and for all.
These books have some similarities with The wizard, but they are clearly not derived. Sabriel plays the role of a protagonist who uses magic and swords to fight horrible supernatural enemies; she develops romantic tension with Touchstone, an even more terse swordsman than Geralt with a mysterious past. And rounding out the initial protagonists is the clever third wheel, except instead of The wizardReal-life troubadour Joey Batey is a talking cat named Mogget with his own share of mystical secrets.
The Old Titular Kingdom Is Only Half of the Book World
Beyond the wall, there is an even stranger place, without any magic
The Old Kingdom, where magic and monsters abound, is just one part of this world; the Kingdom ends at the Wall, a gigantic stone barrier reminiscent of Hadrian's Wall in England, beyond which magic fails. On the other side of the Wall is Ancelstierre, a country reminiscent of England at the beginning of the 20th century.to private schools and a cultural obsession with tea. Sabriel herself hails from the Old Kingdom, but was raised in Ancelstierre, and when she is forced to assume her legacy as Abhorsen, she discovers that her upbringing has completely failed to prepare her for what is to come.
The series works well with the juxtaposition between Ancelstierran technology and Old Kingdom magic; with Sabriel having only a superficial knowledge of her homeland, she is an excellent point of view character as she struggles to keep up with everything she learns on the fly. And of course, his servant, the magician Mogget, is about as useful as you'd expect a cat to be.
Netflix would be wise to bring the magic of the ancient kingdom to the screen
Audiences clearly want more girls with swords in their coming-of-age stories
With magic that literally lives in drawn symbols, enchanted bells that enchant or even destroy the undead, and an entire parallel world of Death for the protagonists to explore, The Old Kingdom has a unique and brilliant approach to fantasy that would engage fans of The wizard or Game of Thrones. Most importantly, placing Sabriel as the protagonist would resonate similarly to other female-led fantasy films, like the Netflix hit. Maiden or Hulu The princess.
Placing Sabriel as the protagonist would have similar repercussions to other female-led fantasy films, such as the Netflix hit Maiden or Hulu The princess.
Sabriel and its sequels are ready for adaptation on any network that wants to try to bet on a new series in the current streaming ecosystem; author Garth Nix apparently courted several film deals in the mid-2000s, but no news has emerged of any other attempts in some time. In the meantime, the series expanded beyond the original trilogy with the prequels Clariel and Terciel and Elinorthe sequence Golden Handsand several short fiction stories, all ripe for adaptation if one took the risk. If Netflix were smart, they would buy it as a replacement for The wizardbut honor the source material better this time.