Legendary TV announced today that it has signed a deal with Hulu to air the upcoming Myst TV series. And it looks like the show is getting some serious Hollywood treatment, as is fitting for one of gaming’s oldest and most loved franchises. Cyan Worlds, the owner of the Myst property, previously signed a deal with TV show maker Legendary to develop the Myst video game into a live-action TV series.
Spokane, Wash.-based developer Cyan is still run by Rand Miller, the co-creator of Myst. Few games have been as popular and beloved as Myst, which has sold more than 15 million copies, counting all of its sequels. It has a direct brand awareness with 40 million players, and Myst was the No. 1 computer game of the 20th century. Its sequel, Riven, was the No. 4 bestselling computer game of the 20th century, and both games are still in the top 10 bestselling computer games of all time.
Evan Daugherty (a famous screenplay writer who worked on Snow White and the Huntsman, Divergent, and the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot) has been recruited to write the script.
The game series included Myst, Riven, three additional sequels, and Myst Online: Uru. There were three bestselling Myst novels, and now the franchise may finally see its debut on television.
Myst, co-created by brothers Rand Miller and Robyn Miller, debuted in 1993 on the Mac OS as one of the first games on the CD-ROM disc format. Cyan is currently building an entirely new place to explore with a title dubbed Obduction.
“We are very excited to see his script ,” said Blake Lewin, vice president of business development at Cyan. “Both he and Cory (Lanier of Legendary) are hardcore Myst fans.”
Legendary has also brought Matt Tolmach (former Sony Pictures president who over saw Spider-Man and numerous other franchises) to produce the show. Rand Miller, Lewin, and Larry Shapiro (previously at Big Frame) will be executive producers.
“We’ve been working closely with Legendary to find a partner that shares our passion for a show based on Myst,” said Rand Miller in a statement. “Hulu’s excitement about this project exceeded our expectations. They’re committed to raising the bar in this burgeoning new arena, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with them.”
Cyan is planning on making a companion game to go with the series.
