The Fourth Realm adap in the works

Watchmen co-writer Alex Tse has been signed up by Fox to start adapting the first book in reclusive author John Twelve Hawks’ The Fourth Realm trilogy.

Entitled The Traveler , the first book was published in 2006 and was a massive bestseller.

The Hollywood Reporter describe it as “ set in a U.S. society run by a secret organization seeking to control the population via constant observation. Seeking to rebel against these constraints are an almost extinct group of people called Travelers, who can project their spirit into other dimensions, and their protectors, called Harlequins.

The inaugural tome centers on a reluctant Harlequin named Maya who must protect two naive Traveler brothers.

Tse also wrote the in-production adap of Japanese manga Ninja Scroll as well as The Illustrated Man , both for Warner Bros.

The Fourth Realm trilogy has been compared to the likes of Star Wars and The Matrix for its sci-fi elements, which are paired with deep-thinking themes on reality and free will.

Joe Regal is producing the film.

Fan of the books? Who would suit the role of Maya? Comments below...

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.