Syfy Confirms Lev Grossman’s ‘The Magicians’ With a Series Order

Syfy is bringing “The Magicians” to TV. The story is based on the best-selling book by author Lev Grossman. The series is set for a 12 episodes.

The Magicians on Syfy
The book cover of The Magicians, which has been adapted for television

According to the press release, “The Magicians” will star Jason Ralph (“A Most Violent Year,” “Aquarius”) who will play the role of Quentin Coldwater. The character is a student of the Brakebills College of Medical Pedagogy in New York. Quentin becomes involved with a group of other student magicians, who learn that the fantasy stories they have read in books as children are very real and dangerous. The series also stars Hale Appleman (“Teeth”), Arjun Gupta (“Nurse Jackie”), Summer Bishil (“Towelhead,” “Lucky 7”) and Stella Maeve (“Chicago P.D.”).

According to Deadline, the adaptation of the book into a TV series was first hatched in 2011 on FOX, but when this didn’t pan out, Michael London’s Groundswell Productions went to redevelop the project on cable via SyFy.

“Ever since ‘The Magicians’ was published I’ve wanted to see this story on screen,” said Grossman in the press release. “The people, the school, the other worlds, the magic. I’m so thrilled that it’s finally happening, and I’m beyond thrilled that we found the right people to do it. Get ready; you’ve never seen anything like this.”

The Magicians pilot beautifully delivers a world filled with wonder, fantasy and intrigue,” Dave Howe, the president of SyFy said, while Jeff Wachtel, the President and Chief Content Officer of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment said, “Lev is a visionary world-creator. It’s an awesome responsibility to honor the novels’ core audience and also to translate that vision to the screen.”

“The Magicians” has Sera Gamble (“Supernatural”) and John McNamara (“Aquarius”) as writers and executive producers, with London and Janice Williams also serving as executive producers.