Stephen King Fantasy Series ‘The Eyes Of The Dragon’ No Longer Happening At Hulu
Back in 2019, we learned thatHulu was moving forwardwith anEyes of the DragonTV series, based on theStephen Kingfantasy novel of the same name.Seth Grahame-Smith, who served as producer on the twoItfilms, was set as showrunner, and the general consensus was that this was a chance for Hulu to have their ownGame of Thrones-like series. Since the announcement, we’ve heard very little about the show – and there’s a good reason for that: it’s no longer happening.
While appearing onThe Kingcast, Seth Grahame-Smith revealed thatThe Eyes of the DragonTV series is officially dead on Hulu. According to Grahme-Smith, the show’s collapse was due to both budget and some behind-the-scenes changes of Hulu execs.
Published in 1984,The Eyes of the Dragonwas a change of pace for Stephen King. Rather than dealing with very adult horror, the book is a fantasy tale of kings and dragons, and is aimed at a younger audience (King claimed it originated as a bedtime story for his kids).
The Eyes of the Dragonis set in the kingdom of Delan, and deals with two brothers, Peter and Thomas, sons of King Roland. Peter is the more well-liked of the boys, and, as the oldest, he’s also destined to inherit the throne. But the king’s evil magician, Flagg, comes up with a scheme where he manipulates the insecure Thomas. Flagg kills Roland and frames Peter for the crime, resulting in Peter being locked up in a tower and Thomas taking over as king – where he can then be manipulated by Flagg even more.
The book has direct connections to King’sDark Towerseries, and alsoThe Stand– the Flagg here is the same Flagg that pops-up in that apocalyptic tale. Had the Hulu series gone foward, Grahame-Smith says the plan was for the first season to adapt the entire book, and then for subsequent seasons to continue the story.
In the same interview, Grahame-Smith talks about wanting Sam Rockwell to play Flagg, and also reaching out to Alan Cumming to narrate the series. But now none of that will happen. Whether or not someone else comes along now to scoop up the rights and adapt this into a TV series is anyone’s guess. Back whenGame of Throneswas on the air, anEyes of the DragonTV series felt like a no-brainer. But now, I’m not so sure. I feel like the ho-hum final season ofThroneshas soured people on this sort of stuff for a while–although HBO is still moving forward with spin-offs. Maybe if thoseThronesspin-offs succeed,Eyes of the Dragonwill get a second chance.
