A 'Dragonriders of Pern' Movie is Finally in the Works

You mean to tell me nobody had the rights to Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern novels before now? Given the success of other book-to-film adaptations like Harry Potter, and the need to build new franchises, that comes as a shock. But that's over now and unsurprisingly it's Warner Bros., who built Harry Potter into the most successful movie franchise ever, who will be bringing the dragons of Pern to the big screen.

Deadline reports the news, saying Warner Bros. has picked up the rights to all 22 of McCaffrey's novels, which began in 1968 with Dragonflight. The first book takes place in the feudal land of Pern, and centers on a special group of warriors who ride telepathic dragons and are charged with protecting the land from the Thread, a dangerous airborne spore. The books are a weird mix of science, fantasy, and politics and they are a lot of fun.

It'll be interesting to see how Warner Bros. plans to adapt the material. The sheer volume of it would probably be better suited to television where it would be a hit nearly on the level of Game of Thrones. But even if they go theatrical and condense the stories there is so much to work with it could go on for a very long time.