The popular comic book series Fables has had many failed attempts at a live-action adaptation, but could it eventually happen? Created and written by Bill Willingham, the series follows various iconic characters from fairy tales and folklore calling themselves “Fables” as they adjust to living alongside regular humans in contemporary New York City. Though the series has expanded into spin-off comics and video games, it’s never received a live-action adaptation.

Several live-action adaptations of Fables have been attempted, but have never come to fruition. When NBC optioned Fables for development in 2005, it didn’t make it past the scripting stage. In its place, the police procedural Grimm was developed, which similarly features a world where fairy tale creatures secretly live alongside humans. ABC’s show Once Upon A Time features myths like Robin Hood as well; ABC developed Once Upon A Time instead of further advancing a Fables adaptation optioned in 2008. The last attempt at a live-action adaptation of Fables came in 2015, when Warner Bros began development on a film that was ultimately canceled quietly.

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Despite its adaptations never making it to the production stage, Fables has had success in other mediums. It has branched off into various comic spin-off titles and the wildly popular video game The Wolf Among Us. It’s possible that a Fables adaptation might still be able to happen, however. Now that Grimm, Once Upon A Time, and its fairy tale anthology spin-off Epic have all been canceled, it may be the best time for Fables to get the live-action treatment.

Fables Deserves A Live-Action Adaptation

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Fables is perfect for a live-action adaptation because of the nature of its story arcs, which shift genre as though they were self-contained seasons of television. The first arc, which revolves around Bigby Wolf (formerly the Big Bad Wolf) investigating Rose Red’s murder, acts as a murder mystery. The next arc, in which a group of farm animals revolt against the established Fable government, acts as a conspiracy drama. The prequel video game The Wolf Among Us can also act as an interesting framework for a live-action show to tackle, as it leans into the murder mystery genre heavily. Other comic adaptations like The Boys deal with political commentary, but Fables is built for commenting on social issues from the outset. The eponymous Fables themselves are victims of categorical genocide, which already opens up any potential adaptations to contemporary real-world parallels.

It’s the right time for a series set in the world of Fabletown, as so many other non-Marvel and DC comic books are getting long-awaited live-action adaptations. Gerard Way’s The Umbrella Academy has found success among critics and audiences on Netflix, while Robert Kirkman’s Invincible has similarly been met with critical acclaim. Many other comic adaptations are on the way as well, such as the Keanu Reeves-led BRZRKR and Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman on Netflix. With so many comics seeing their turn on screen thanks to streaming platforms, it could be the perfect time to see a Fables series in live-action.

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