Jacket art © 2011
by Larry Rostant

To read a recent piece from the Hollywood Reporter, click here.

To read an article from CG Life, click here.

For a video interview with T. A. Barron about Merlin, click here.

For books, maps, and more about Merlin, click here.

What a journey!

This whole movie experience is, let me tell you, one AMAZING journey. It's also (depending on the day) an exciting, frustrating, and challenging creative journey — with a plot even more bizarre than one of my fantasy novels.

The good news is — The Lost Years of Merlin film is making great progress. I'm genuinely excited about what lies ahead. And one of these days, when we finally have a release date — I will announce it right here on this page!

The bad news is — this has taken much longer than I ever thought. Seriously, I know glaciers that move faster than Hollywood.

And so ... I've decided to update this page regularly to keep everyone informed. After all, you are my companions on this journey. And I will also keep some of my earlier posts, so anyone who is interested can follow some of the twists and turns we have taken.

The most recent news:

Just received the first draft of the script. It's coming together nicely. Most important, it remains true to the spirit of our friend Merlin. On top of that, I am delighted with the visionary leadership of my producer, Donald DeLine, and his team, in this whole process.

From three months ago:

Warner Bros. has just hired a new, highly acclaimed script writer, Ed Whitworth. He brings excellent writing skills, and even more important, a genuine passion for young Merlin's adventures. Expect a first draft of the script soon ...

From six months ago:

Excellent news! Donald DeLine, a terrific producer, has just signed onto this project. He brings huge experience as a highly successful producer – including several films that have each grossed almost $200 million worldwide (which sounds like a lot of money to me): The Italian Job, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, and Yogi Bear. When I met with Donald at Warner Bros. this week, he was just finishing the final editing of his next big film, Green Lantern. I am thrilled to have Donald on board!

More good news: The Merlin movie project has moved to a fabulous new studio: Warner Bros. The Lost Years of Merlin is now at WB (the same studio that has given us, in recent years, a series of films about another young wizard named Harry).

I’m delighted to tell you that there is tremendous enthusiasm for this project at the studio, from creative executives through top management. These are wonderful people — folks who share my passion for Merlin, and who see the potential power of this saga as a movie.  

We still have a long way to go. This trail will take more twists and turns, no doubt. But I am thrilled at this important step forward ... and I’m sure that Merlin, wherever he is right now, feels the same!

Here is my post from before that:

We have reached, at long last, a crucial stage — going out to directors. We now have a short list of terrific, absolutely top filmmakers. Any one of these directors would do a brilliant job. Our goal is to bring one of them onto the project as soon as possible.

Simon Kinberg, who wrote the script for The Lost Years of Merlin — and whose film credits include Sherlock Holmes, X-Men 3, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith — and I will be making the pitches to directors. Honestly, I feel like the magic of Merlin brought Simon onto this project. He is a truly fabulous writer and producer, and is just as passionate about young Merlin's story as I am (which says a lot).

I hope to have some good news to share with you soon. At the same time, none of us should be surprised if this road through Hollywood still has a few more twists and turns. But — with Merlin's help — we'll get to celebrate a major motion picture!

And here is my post from before that:

Having just returned home from a creative meeting at the Paramount studio in California (the third such meeting in three months), I can tell you there is great excitement for this project. We still have much to do to achieve the goal of a phenomenal feature film — but things are moving in the right direction.

Paramount has acquired (and also recently renewed) the option to make a movie of Merlin's lost years—the magical time of his youth—based on the first book of the epic. And the project could not be in better hands. This is truly the best team I could have asked for: They understand the power and depth of young Merlin—and they also know how to make spectacular movies.

That's EXTREMELY important to me, since I'd much rather have no film at all than have one that's anything less than SUPERB. Merlin deserves only the best! And so do you, my loyal readers.

In addition to the people at Paramount, I am thrilled to be working with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura (whose most recent film, Transformers, was a huge box office success worldwide). Earlier in his career, Lorenzo was the head of worldwide production at Warner Bros., where he helped to make The Matrix, Perfect Storm, and many other successful films.

Scriptwriter Simon Kinberg has written the original script for this project. And believe me, wherever Merlin is right now, he is just as delighted as I am. For Simon is truly a crafter of powerful, compelling stories. His most recent films include X-Men 3 and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Now, a word of caution: Hollywood is probably the most unpredictable place on the planet. (I've concluded it's just as bizarre and full of surprises as Merlin's isle of Fincayra.) So even with our recent progress, this movie could still take a long time to complete, or may never even happen. But I am greatly encouraged by what I've seen recently.

This team is determined to make a movie that's truly fabulous. That's why I'm staying involved in the process as much as possible. Whatever does happen, I'll keep you up to date right here on this website, as well as in my newsletters.

The goal of everyone involved in this project is to create a film that's truly worthy of Merlin!

- T.A. Barron

For an interview with T. A. Barron about Merlin, click here.