It begins with absence and desire. It begins with blood and fear. It begins with a discovery of witches… Deb Harkness’ bestselling paranormal series is being adapted for TV, and we know who will play the leads!
One of the best books I’ve read in the last five years is A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. At that time, I was emerging from years in the Twlight/TwiFic bubble and on the look out for some juicy reading of the paranormal persuasion. Thanks to the awesome book bloggers I follow on Goodreads, A Discovery of Witches crossed my radar, and it was such a treat!
Deb Harkness, a historian by trade, brings all of her expertise to bear on telling a phenomenal story about the intersections of magic and science and the ways in which the past shapes the present/future. Beyond that, Deb creates a really interesting mythology around brilliant characters. I can’t recommend this book enough, and the All Souls Trilogy, as a whole, is original, intelligently written, and captivating. For more, check out my review HERE.
But, in brief, magical creatures (witches, vampires, and daemons) are becoming extinct. Matthew Clairmont (a vampire and geneticist) has spent several centuries investigating the origins of each species and their evolutionary path to find answers. A book at Oxford’s Bodleian Library, Ashmole 782, holds the key to these questions, yet it’s been bewitched so only Diana Bishop, a visiting scholar (historian), can access it. Now magical creatures have descended upon Oxford, desperate to get to Diana and this book. It’s in these circumstances that Diana and Matthew team up to uncover the truth of the three species. What unfolds is a cross-continental adventure, filled with danger, mystery, and romance.
In 2015 when Deb held a local book signing for The Book of Life (book 3 in the series), I had the chance to attend. At that time, she reassured us that A Discovery of Witches TV series was very much in the works.
So, flash-forward to today, when Deb, along with her production partners at Bad Wolf Television and Sky Original Productions, announced that Diana and Clairmont have been cast!
Diana Bishop will be played by Teresa Palmer, while Matthew Goode will play Matthew Clairmont.
My initial reaction was to flail all over the place because, to me, perfect casting is PERFECT.
I’ve loved Tez Palmer since I first saw her in Warm Bodies. I think she’ll do a fantastic job capturing Diana’s charm, strength, and intelligence. And you know Matthew Goode has been one of my boo-thangs for awhile from Belle, The Good Wife, and Downton Abbey. Clairmont is so charismatic, so swoony, so thoroughly Alpha, but has a darkness about him too. I trust Matthew Goode to bring these characteristics to life.
One of the things that makes A Discovery of Witches so great is the chemistry between Diana and Clairmont, so I’m really looking forward to seeing the Tez and Matthew portray that intensity and passion. Also, BUNDLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(If you’d like to read one of my favorite quotes that shows why Clairmont is one of my book boyfriends, go HERE!)
According to Deb, filming begins in Wales in the next few weeks, then the series is set to air first in the UK and Ireland on Sky 1 (streaming via NOW TV). Here’s hoping that news about U.S. broadcasting will come sooner rather than later, because I need this in my life!
Stay tuned to We So Nerdy because we’ll be sharing ADoW news as we hear it!
Have you read A Discovery of Witches? Which scenes are you hoping will make it from the book to screen? Share your thoughts in comments!