Based on the best-selling series by Deborah Harkness, the cast and showrunners of A Discovery of Witches attended San Diego Comic Con 2018.
Last month we were treated to the first trailer of the upcoming Sky TV series, which came to the delight of many fans. Naturally, the cast attending Comic-Con only further ramped up the excitement with Teresa Palmer (Diana), Alex Kingston (Sarah), Valerie Pettiford (Emily), and Owen Teale (Peter) making up the panel, alongside A Discovery of Witches author Deborah Harkness and executive producer Lachlan MacKinnon.
A Discovery of Witches is a contemporary love story set in our world, but one which humans share with the declining species of witches, vampires and daemons – creatures existing and working amongst us, but hiding, unknown to most humans, in plain sight.
During the panel, Harkness talked about the origins of the series. “I would look at all these vampire books at the bookstore and I kept thinking all of these books suggested that these people were everywhere. I thought people made up these stories about these mythical creatures to cover the fact that they are just the people next door.” Teale added, “These characters never lose their connection to the human race. Everyone is worried about their survival. The imagination of the human race is being dumbed down by the technology of the world, which can cause these beautiful creatures to lose their powers.”
Within the series, accepting one self plays a key role along with diversity as Diana’s aunts Sarah and Emily are essentially her surrogate parents who are also in a relationship. Kingston, who plays Sarah, said, “This is what I found interesting in the books. The racism in this world is between the mythical races, not against skin colour or orientation, so it was something we really didn’t have to worry about. it’s normal in this world, as it should be.”
Teresa spoke about how she connected with her character, “I fell in love with her bravery, her commitment. She is a beautiful person. She doesn’t want to be different. She pretends she doesn’t have powers. She wants to deny her heritage, much to her aunt’s dismay.”
It was also announced that A Discovery of Witches will be airing on Sundance Now and Shudder in the US, along with Sky TV in the UK. This acquisition marks the first partnership for both of these networks.
“This captivating story is filled with intrigue, romance and magic and set in spectacular locations that underscore those very qualities,” said Jan Diedrichsen, General Manager of Sundance Now. “We know that A Discovery of Witches will appeal to both the premium drama fans at Sundance Now and the genre fans at Shudder.”
The series stars Teresa Palmer (Hacksaw Ridge) as Diana Bishop, Matthew Goode (The Good Wife) as Matthew Clairmont, Alex Kingston (Doctor Who) as Diana’s witchy aunt Sarah Bishop, Valarie Pettiford (The Blacklist) as Sarah’s partner Emily (Em) Mather, Lindsey Duncan (The Leftovers) as Matthew’s vampiric mother Ysabeau, Tanya Moodie (Sherlock) as a daemon Agatha Wilson, Daniel Ezra (BBC’s Undercover) as daemon Nathaniel Wilson, Edward Bluemel (House Finch) as vampire Marcus, Owen Teale (Game of Thrones) as Peter Knox, and Freddie Thorpe (Overdrive) as a new character for the series, Matthieu Beny.
Bad Wolf Productions, headed up by former Doctor Who producers Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner, are behind this adaption of Harkness’ novel, with Mr Selfridge, The Forsyte Saga and Bancroft screenwriter Kate Brooke penning the script.
The eight-episode season will premiere on Sky Vision in the UK on September 14, but no premiere date has been confirmed yet for the US, however, we will be sure to keep you updated here on The Nerd Daily!
