Summary
The Ranger's Apprentice will probably be divided into 6 films, most of them adapting two books in order to preserve the story arcs and maintain narrative cohesion. The film series must strike a balance between fidelity to the original material and originality to attract fans and newcomers alike. The final film, The Royal Ranger, will tie up loose ends, potentially incorporating flashbacks and short stories for a satisfying conclusion.
The Ranger's Apprentice is an extensive series of 12 books by Australian author John Flanagan, and the upcoming film adaptations of the novels will probably divide the books into six films. The Ranger's Apprentice is an internationally acclaimed series and has the chance to become the next young adult book series to become a successful film franchise. The Ranger's Apprentice movie is expected to cover the first two novels in the series, but it is not yet known how the rest of the series will be divided.
If The Ranger's Apprentice is to become one of the best films based on a series of young adult novels, it will be necessary to get the division of the books right. Many of the novels have arcs that last two books, so most movies can adapt two books each. However, as the series spreads later, the stories are not always compatible as a single narrative. Ultimately, the best way to divide the series is to make six films, but not all of them should adapt two books.
6The ruins of Gorlan
Adapting books 1 and 2 of The Ranger's Apprentice
The first film in the upcoming Ranger's Apprentice series will adapt books one and two of Flanagan's series, The Ruins of Gorlan and The Burning Bridge, respectively. The first movie will be crucial to the future of the franchise, so it's important that the adaptation of the first two books is done carefully. If The Ranger's Apprentice is to become one of the leading book adaptations for young adults, it will need to start strongly, striking a good balance between fidelity to the source material and originality.
The name of the first Ranger's Apprentice movie has not yet been announced, but it seems likely that it will be named after one of the two books it is supposed to cover. Alternatively, the film could simply be called The Ranger's Apprentice, which may be easier to market, considering that people are already familiar with the title. As for the story, the movie will feature the series' protagonist, Will, who becomes an apprentice to one of the trackers/warriors known as the King's Rangers.
The Ranger's Apprentice also has a prequel series, a sequel series and a spin-off series, making it one of the most expansive young adult book series of all time.
5 The frozen earth
Adapting books 3 and 4 of The Ranger's Apprentice
The second Ranger's Apprentice movie, assuming it avoids becoming the next canceled young adult franchise, will probably continue the trend of two books per movie, adapting The Icebound Land and Oakleaf Bearers, the third and fourth books in the series, respectively. The movie would probably use the title of one of the two books it adapts, although it is possible that it will come up with something original that combines elements from both novels. The Battle for Skandia, the title of Oakleaf Bearers in the United States, is another potential movie title.
The story of the second Ranger's Apprentice movie should be able to combine the two books quite easily, because they combine to form the Skandia arc within the larger saga. There is a time jump of several years after Oakleaf Bearers, which makes it the perfect book to end the second movie. However, as the seventh book in the series, Erak's Ransom, goes back in time and takes place just after Oakleaf Bearers, it is likely that this book will also be included in this movie or cut.
4The siege of Macindaw
Adapting books 5 and 6 of The Ranger's Apprentice
The third film in The Ranger's Apprentice series will probably adapt the next two books in the series, The Sorcerer in the North and The Siege of Macindaw. These two books follow the Macindaw arc of the series, making them easily compatible as a single story. There will certainly be some changes to the books, but as long as the narrative is paced appropriately, there shouldn't be too many problems condensing these two books into a single movie.
Considering that the climax of this arc is the titular siege, The Siege of Macindaw seems the most likely title for the movie. This movie could be particularly important for The Ranger's Apprentice series because it is during their time in Macindaw that Will and Alyss, his future wife, fall in love. Their romance is central to the story, so it's important that it's set up convincingly from the start.
3 The kings of Clonmel
Adapting books 8 and 9 of The Ranger's Apprentice
As the seventh book of The Ranger's Apprentice, Erak's Ransom, will probably be cut or included in the second installment of the series, it is likely that the fourth film will skip ahead to books eight and nine, The Kings of Clonmel and Halt's Peril. These two novels follow the Outsiders arc, which focuses on Will's attempts to stop an evil cult from taking control of the kingdoms of Hibernia. With a single main antagonist for these two books, the stories should fit together perfectly.
The Kings of Clonmel seems to be the most viable title for the movie, considering that the Outsiders arc begins in the Kingdom of Clonmel. The story progresses to Picta in Halt's Peril, so it's also possible that the title could be something original. Halt's Peril focuses on Will's quest to track down the leader of the Outsiders, so the title could just as easily be derived from that mission.
twoThe Emperor of Nihon-Ja
Adapting book 10 of The Ranger's Apprentice
The tenth book in The Ranger's Apprentice, The Emperor of Nihon-Ja, is longer than most of the other novels and tells an independent story, making it likely that it will have an entire movie in the series to itself. In addition, the eleventh book in the series, The Lost Stories, is a collection of short stories that would be difficult to integrate into the plot of The Emperor of Nihon-Ja. Fortunately, this novel has plenty of drama and action to fill out the narrative.
The story of The Emperor of Nihon-Ja focuses on Will's attempts to reinstall the titular Emperor after a jealous rival strikes a blow against him. After this arc, The Ranger's Apprentice moves on to the aforementioned collection of short stories before bringing the series to a close with a novel sequence set years after the first eleven books. This makes The Emperor of Nihon-Ja the perfect penultimate movie in the series.
1 The Royal Ranger
Adapting books 11 and 12 of The Ranger's Apprentice
Although it is possible that book eleven of The Ranger's Apprentice will be cut from the films as it is a collection of short stories from various moments in the series, the opportunity for it to be included will come in the final film in the series. The final book, The Royal Ranger, begins with Will contemplatively mourning the death of his wife, which could provide an opportunity for flashbacks to some of the events in The Lost Stories. The Royal Ranger could also include some of the tales in Will's training for his new apprentice.
This could be done by Will telling his apprentice, Maddie, the stories to teach her about being a Ranger, or by Will having flashbacks when she does something that reminds him of his youth. Alternatively, The Lost Stories could be cut completely or integrated into each movie based on when each tale takes place. Either way, The Ranger's Apprentice film series should come full circle in this final film, when the titular apprentice takes on his own student.
Although The Royal Ranger was originally written as the final book of The Ranger's Apprentice, it is now also considered the starting point of the sequel series, Ranger's Apprentice: The Royal Ranger.
Based on the fantasy book series by John Flanagan, The Ranger's Apprentice is an adaptation of the first book in the series directed by Ted Melfi. The series follows Will, an orphan turned apprentice, as he joins a talented group of Rangers working in the service of the king. The film is intended to be the first in what studio Skydance plans to be a long-running franchise.
Director Ted Melfi
Studio(s) Skydance
Writers Ted Melfi