So The Writer of Moulin Rouge! and Weta Workshop are Making Game of Thrones With Joan of Arc

Okay, I admit it. There is one part of that headline that may be a projection rather than indisputable. The fact is that Craig Pearce‘s series, adapted from Kimberly Cutter‘s recent novel The Maid, a version of the Joan of Arc tale that interweaves her perspective on the end of the Hundred Years War with the perspectives of “the international noble houses which battled for control of the French throne and ultimately the birth of a nation.”

I chose to simplify that sentence with the phrase “Game of Thrones but with Joan of Arc.” The rest of it? Absolutely no hyperbole. The writer behind Moulin Rouge! is preparing a drama series about Joan of Arc, and Weta Workshop will be doing the design.

The series, as yet untitled (and, while it is intended for international audiences, hasn’t locked in an American distributor yet), will be produced by Pukeko Pictures, a company co-founded by Richard Taylor, whose name will be very familiar to anyone who’s watched the special features on The Lord of the Rings. He’s the five time Oscar winning head of Weta Workshop, the company that made every costume, set, and special effect on LotR. He told the Hollywood Reporter:

This project is the perfect fit for everything New Zealand has to offer. From our spectacular landscapes to the award-winning team here at Weta Workshop — an epic drama that can showcase everything from conceptual design through to manufacturing; utilizing all the skills we have honed on our feature work.

While I wouldn’t be surprised if a series from the writer of Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet played a little lose with historical details… well. Either way it’ll probably be pretty fascinating to watch.

(via The Hollywood Reporter.)