Legend of Earthsea

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Earthsea DVD Cover

The Legend of Earthsea miniseries (later shortened to Earthsea), adapted quite loosely from the award-winning Earthsea novels by Ursula K. Le Guin, premiered as a two-night television event on the Sci-Fi Channel in December 2004.

The series was produced by Hallmark Entertainment in association with Bender-Brown Productions. It was adapted by Gavin Scott (The Mists of Avalon) from the Earthsea novels for executive producers Robert Halmi, Sr. (Merlin, Gulliver's Travels, Animal Farm), Lawrence Bender (Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction) and Kevin Kelly Brown (Roswell).

Le Guin, author of the novels on which the miniseries is based, was not involved in the development of the material or the making of the production. She has written a number of responses to the handling of this adaptation of her works, including "A Whitewashed Earthsea" and "Frankenstein's Earthsea". Her main criticism was that the characters races had been changed from non-white to white.

The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

This fantasy follows the tale of a reckless youth destined to become the greatest sorcerer that the world of Earthsea has ever known. When the difficult and rebellious Ged discovers the extent of his magical powers, he seeks to master the ancient arts — and his own impulses as well. As he journeys to manhood, he will combat dragons, fall in love, cross death's threshold and ultimately wield the power to reunite a planet.