As has been established with the success of shows likeThe WitcherandGame of Thrones, the world is still mesmerized by the genre of action fantasy. As the time seems ripe, Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee, Andrew Trapani, and Steven Schneider have recently acquired the rights to theKanefantasy novels written by cult fantasy author Karl Edward Wagner.
Much likeThe Witcher, theKanestories focus on one central character in the backdrop of a vast and detailed medieval world. The character, also known as the Mystic Swordsman, first made his debut in the 1973 short story collectionDeath Angel’s Shadowand went on to appear in twenty short stories and three novels. Understandably, the stories went on to draw a cult following. All the more reason why it seems to be the right time to adapt this medieval “Hercules” to the screen.
Lee, Trapani, and Schneider, who have previously worked inIt, Winchester,and theParanormal Activitymovies, will be producing this project from Vertigo Entertainment. However, it is still not clear whether the adaptation will be in the form of a series or a feature film, although a series might be a better way to go about it, given the scope and extent of theKanelore.
Kane, or The Mystic Swordsman, is about to make his TV/Film Debut
The premise of the character sets him up for triumph, as far as the popularity goes. Kane first appeared in 1973 and went on to appear in 20 short stories and three novels, of which 4 four million copies have been sold. The famed fantasy painter Frank Frazetta even illustrated several covers.
Much like his biblical namesake, Kane is a powerful, left-handed man with red hair, said to have killed (strangled) his brother Abel and been cursed by a mad god with an eternal life of wandering. Nevertheless, he is vulnerable to wounds, although they heal at a rapid pace, and it is said that he can be killed “by the violence that he himself created”. It is his endless journey through the world, that forms the core of his stories.
In an interview prior to his death (preserved by theKarledwagnerblog), the creator said this about his iconic character:
Kane is not a sword and sorcery hero; he is a gothic hero/villain from the tradition of the Gothic novels of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Possibly his single greatest influence was the doomed hero/villain of Maturin’s Melmoth the Wanderer, although there are very many other sources. What I wanted to do was to create a mysterious amoral character, far more intelligent and far more physically powerful than his adversaries. Before Kane, villains were either twisted geniuses or hulking oafs. With Kane, I wanted a character who could master any situation intellectually, or rip off heads if push came to shove.
AlthoughKanewas inspired byConan the BarbarianandElric of Melnibone,Karl said in the same interview that “Kane is closer to the Terminator than Conan, although neither comparison is really valid.”
Apart from the trio at Vertigo Entertainment, the upcomingKaneproject will also be produced by Keith Previte and Kevin Elam of the Karl Edward Wagner estate. Series or feature film, it is certainly something worth looking forward to.
