“It had to be Death. No-one else went around with empty eye sockets and, of course, the scythe over one shoulder was another clue.”

Consider me surprised to find out via press release that a two-part tv adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s The Colour of Magic had been released this March. Not only that, but it’s already on its way to dvd and Blu-Ray.

The only catch? It’s Region 2 only. That’s why you might have never even heard about it- it’s never hit North American shores.

Some explanation- I’m a huge Terry Pratchett nut. If you’ve never delved into any of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels (or played either of the games starring Eric Idle!) you really should consider jumping in. The series must number in the thousands by now, andwhile they are skewed towards a younger audience each and every one are quick, fun reads, with some of the most witty writing you’re likely to find. No author (save Christopher Moore) has made me laugh out loud and embarrass myself in public more.

The Colour of Magic (Color if you buy it here and don’t like needless vowels) was the first
Discworld
novel, introducing us to the wizard Rincewind and the strange fantasy world of Discworld. While it’s an excellent story it’s possibly the weakest novel in the series, as Pratchett seems to have been figuring out a tone for the series. He soon found it, though, and the best part of this world he created was the many different types of books he could wring out of it. There are murder mysteries, vampire stories, Christmas tales, hell, there’s even a novel that’s a parody of Faust. This film adaptation’s actually an amalgamation of the first two novels- the second being The Light Fantastic.

After inept wizard Rincewind is expelled from Unseen University for failing to learn even basic
magic he is forced to become tour guide to Discworld’s first tourist,
naive insurance salesman Twoflower.
Following their adventures as they flee a fire in Ankh-Morpork, endure
dangerous encounters with the disc’s mythical creatures, dice with
Death and fight to prevent the world from ending, Colour of Magic
offers an exhilarating ride through a magical realm quite unlike any
other.

 
Sounds like a lame Lord of the Rings ripoff, but if they did it right it will be nothing like it. The film has received a bunch of positive reviews, so let’s hope for the best. It stars David Jason as Rincewind and Sean Astin as Twoflower. Supporting cast includes Tim Curry, Jeremy Irons, and Christopher Lee as Death! (or is that DEATH?)

Besides that there was already an adaptation of Hogfather that came out in 2006 and an upcoming adaptation of Going Postal, one of my favorite of his novels, planned for release in 2009. Hopefully someone will bring them out here so we don’t have to import them to check them out. You lucky Brits can pick it up on the 3rd of November, in both 1-disc barebones dvd or 2-disc dvd (or Blu-ray) formats. The latter two will have a bunch of extras such as Discworld ‘Tourist Guides’, deleted scenes, and interviews.

Has anyone seen this film yet? Let us know how it is in the comments!