Runestaff Novels Being Adapted for TV by BBC Studios

BBC Studios has scored the rights to multiple-award-winning author Michael Moorcock’s Runestaff fantasy novels, with plans to adapt them into a TV series.

The Runestaff omnibus consists of four books: The Jewel in the Skull, The Mad God’s Amulet, Sword of the Dawn and The Runestaff. The saga follows hero Hawkmoon as he journeys through fantasy realms from ghost cities to the heart of the Dark Empire itself.

The series is executive produced by Richard Stokes (Broadchurch, Torchwood), John Yorke (Life on Mars, EastEnders) and written by Steve Thompson (Sherlock, Doctor Who).

Moorcock said: “I am delighted that BBC Studios is developing the Runestaff series for TV. I believe the team will do an outstanding job and I’m looking forward to seeing Hawkmoon, Count Brass and Yisselda brought to the screen. This is a perfect time for the series, which seems more relevant today than it did when I originally wrote it. I will be working closely with the writers to develop the stories. I feel like a schoolboy, breathlessly waiting for the first episode to be aired.”

“The Runestaff novels were the first books that captured my imagination,” added Thompson. “It’s a privilege and a great adventure to be working with Michael Moorcock. I feel like I’ve just been handed the keys to the crown jewels of fantasy fiction.”

“Michael Moorcock is a giant of fantasy fiction—he changed the field single-handedly, writing sagas on an operatic scale with a strong literary sensibility and complex human characters,” said Stokes. “Hawkmoon is his greatest champion, and I am thrilled that BBC Studios will be bringing him to the small screen.”