MTV debuted the first footage from their Shannara Chronicles TV series at New York Comic-Con this past weekend, and it looks surprisingly epic.
If nothing else, it looks like a ton of money went into recreating this world. Check out the trailer above, and we’ll discuss the series below.
Wow, there’s a lot shoved into that trailer, can you explain what’s going on?
The show is based on Terry Brooks’ Shannara series of fantasy novels, specifically adapting the second book, The Elfstones of Shannara. While this first trailer definitely feels like it’s skewing towards the Hunger Games crowd, the book series it’s based on is not really what we’d typically think of as “young adult” fantasy. Instead, it’s much more along the lines of the high fantasy stuff that was popular in the 80s.
The stories of Shannara take place in a realm known as the Four lands, set thousands of years after a nuclear war has wiped out most of humanity. In the aftermath of that “Great War,” magic has been rediscovered, and the elves reemerge after living in seclusion for centuries.
As hinted at by the trailer, The Elfstones of Shannara centers around a tree known as the Ellcrys, which is imbued with a magical spell that keeps Demons from invading the world. Unfortunately, the tree is dying, forcing Amberle, an Elven princess, Wil, a half-elf, and Etretria, a human, to embark on a quest to grow a new one, while the Elves and their allies battle to keep a Demon invasion at bay.
Given how much it looks like was invested in this series, expect to see a ton more about it in the coming months.
When can I see it?
The Shannara Chronicles will premiere on MTV on Tuesday, January 5.
