Eliza Dushku first made a name for herself on the small screen way back in the 90s as Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She has since gone on to star in a variety of series, many of them featuring a sci-fi twist. Now, fresh off the end of Banshee, the actress has signed on for a new role in another engaging genre. Assuming the project goes to series, Dushku will star was a dominating sorceress in a fantasy show based on a popular book series.
The series will follow the events of the book series called The Black Company. Written by Glen Cook, the series is comprised of ten books that chronicle the misadventures of the elite mercenary unit known as the Black Company. The unit does all kinds of dastardly deeds for those who can pay the right price, and they're the scourge of the land for many. When they learn of a prophecy stating that the "embodiment of good" has been reborn, the men are forced to re-evaluate their positions and their loyalties. Eliza Dushku will play The Lady, who is a dark and domineering sorceress who controls the Northern Empire, using the Black Company in a variety of ways to prevent losing her place on top. The prophecy will come as very bad news for The Lady.
The Black Company is being developed by Eliza Dushku and David S. Goyer, who is best known for his contributions to the superhero genre, including penning the screenplays for Batman Begins and Man of Steel. His series Krypton is currently awaiting a decision over at Syfy. Both Dushku and Goyer are slated to work as executive producers on the project, should it go to series. THR reports that no network is attached at this point. Given the successes of other fantasy series like Game of Thrones and Outlander, the odds are pretty good that a new drama backed by significant names in showbiz will find a home somewhere on the small screen.
The project will pull elements from the books, although it is not currently known how faithful of an adaptation the prospective show would be. We can confirm that it would include details from the next book in the saga, Port of Shadows, which is scheduled for release in 2018 and will be set between the events of the first and second books.
We'll have to wait and see if The Black Company impacts Eliza Dushku's upcoming role on CBS' Bull. She signed on earlier this year to appear in three episodes of Bull Season 1, with an option to join the cast as a series regular in the future. If The Black Company moves forward, Dushku may not have time to tackle a major network series regular gig on top of her producing and starring duties for the new show.
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