Bad Wolf unveils adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s ‘Warlord Chronicles’

Julie Gardner & Jane Tranter

His Dark Materials producer Bad Wolf has unveiled its first major new drama commission since joining Sony Pictures Television (SPT) with an adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicles.

The Winter King is described as an “epic but intimate” 10-part returning series, which offers a revisionist take on the Arthurian legends and follows the warrior as he evolves from outcast son to legendary leader.

The story is set in the 5th century, before Britain was united, in a land of warring factions and tribes when the world was brutal and lives were often fleeting.

Bad Wolf is producing in association with One Big Picture, with SPT handling international distribution. The show had originally been set up at US cable Epix in 2020.

Kate Brooke (A Discovery Of Witches) and Ed Whitmore (Manhunt) are adapting the novels and Otto Bathurst (His Dark Materials) be the lead director.

The show, which will shoot around Wales later this year, comes four months since Sony took a majority stake in I Hate Suzie producer Bad Wolf, with Sky, HBO and Access Entertainment exiting the business.

The deal, which emerged in October, saw SPT also acquiring the Wolf Studios Wales sound stage facility in Cardiff, UK, and Bad Wolf’s 30% stake in Bad Wolf America.

Financial details have not been disclosed, but the deal has previously been valued at around £60m ($81m). It ends the involvement of former investors Sky, HBO and Access, all of whom had minority stakes in the company.

Bad Wolf was founded by Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter in 2015, following their departure from BBC Studios (fka BBC Worldwide).

Its slate includes Industry, The Night Of and A Discovery Of Witches. The prodco was also recently announced to be partnering with BBCS on the 2023 season of Doctor Who, with Russel T Davies set to return as showrunner.