Deadline is reporting that Walt Disney Studios has enlisted Michael Matthews (Love and Monsters; Five Fingers for Marseilles) to direct Merlin, an upcoming live-action adaptation of T.A. Barron's The Merlin Saga novel series.
It's still very early in the development process, but the film will presumably adapt the first book in the series, The Lost Years. The overall story follows a young Merlin and focuses on the never-before-told tale of his youth as he goes through all kinds of trials and tribulations to become the legendary wizard of King Arthur lore.
Academy Award-nominee Chris Weitz (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; About a Boy) penned the script, while 2x Academy Award-nominee Gil Netter (Life of Pi; The Blind Side) is producing.
Ridley Scott (The Last Duel; House of Gucci) was previously attached, but exited the project recently due to his increasingly busy schedule. He's next set to tackle the Napoleon Bonaparte biopic Kitbag starring Joaquin Phoenix (Joker; Gladiator) and Jodie Comer (Killing Eve; Free Guy), which he'll follow with his long-awaited Gladiator sequel.
The Merlin Saga consists of twelve books - The Lost Years, The Seven Songs, The Raging Fires, The Mirror of Fate, A Wizard's Wings, The Dragon of Avalon, Doomraga's Revenge, Ultimate Magic, The Great Tree of Avalon, Shadows on the Stars, The Eternal Flame, and Merlin: The Book of Magic - so it's not a stretch to assume that Disney might have their sights set on a new franchise. However, whether they plan to debut this film in theaters or on Disney+ remains to be seen.