The hit game series Myst is making its way to new entertainment mediums. Village Roadshow Entertainment Group has acquired both film and television rights to Myst and the rich lore that comes with it. Working alongside Myst creators, Village Roadshow plans to develop a multi-platform franchise encompassed in a Myst film and television universe.
Myst was first released in 1993. Selling over six million copies, the adventure-puzzle game from Cyan Productions became the best-selling PC game until The Sims stole its crown in 2002. For those who have only played the classic Myst title, it may seem like a strange choice for film and television. However, the world of Myst has expanded over the years and the franchise currently includes 10 games and several novels.
Village Roadshow plans to put the franchise’s deep lore to use. With Myst co-creators and brothers Rand and Robyn Miller helping with production, Village Roadshow will use its entire creative team to adapt the properties on screen. The content will be both scripted and unscripted, encompassing the thousands of years of Myst franchise mythology and history.
The main plot of the Myst saga follows Atrus, grandson of a woman named Anna. Anna, a human woman, discovered an ancient civilization living under the New Mexico desert. Known as the D’ni, the mysteries people have the ability to write “linking books” that connect to distant worlds. Atrus and his life with the linking books are the cornerstones of the Myst lore.
While we likely won’t hear much more on the Myst film or television series until further development starts, it’s interesting to think about which parts of the lore will be focused on. With so many games and intertwining characters, Village Roadshow has plenty of content to pick and choose from. Whether or not the classic game will still be of interest to audiences 26 years later remains to be seen, but I don’t think I’m the only one who can still hear Myst‘s seaside winds howling through the trees and wouldn’t mind going back for a while.
