Could Madeline Miller’s “Circe” be the next “Game of Thrones” for HBO?
The Boston-born author’s Greek mythological fantasy is headed to HBO Max, the premium cable network’s forthcoming streaming service. As announced late Tuesday afternoon, an eight-episode order has been handed out for the series, which screenwriting duo Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (behind 2011 sci-fi reboot “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and its sequel) will help shepherd toward the small screen as writers and executive-producers.
An ambitious and inventive origin story for its titular character, the Greek goddess of magic, “Circe” – which hit shelves this past spring – re imagines the occult figure from Homer’s “The Odyssey” as a feminist hero in her own right, caught between the worlds of gods and mortals. Following her journey from young outcast to formidable sorceress, the series will rework elements of classic Greek mythology into its own narrative.
Miller, who grew up in New York and Philadelphia, wrote her breakout 2012 novel “The Song of Achilles” over the course of 10 years, while teaching Latin, Greek and Shakespeare to high school students. A Brown University graduate, she lived in Cambridge until 2015, then relocating back to Philadelphia to write “Circe.”
“It is incredibly exciting to me that there is such growing interest in expanding the stories of Greek myth, and in giving voice to those who have been pushed to the margins,” Miller said in a statement to Boston.com. “I am thrilled to have this passionate and talented team tackling Circe’s journey!”
Miller will be back in Cambridge this fall, speaking about “Circe” during a ticketed event Sept. 3 at the Brattle. Expect her to also show up at Porter Square Books, which she referred to as her “bookstore home-away-from-home” while living in the area.
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