'The Last Of The Mohicans' TV Series From Cary Joji Fukunaga In The Works

Cary Joi Fukunaga is keeping busy. Not only is the filmmaker set to helm Bond 25, he's also developing a Last of the Mohicans TV series along with Watchmen TV series director Nicole Kassell. The series will adapt James Fenimore Cooper's historical novel, which has been adapted to the screen several times in the past – most notably the 1992 Michael Mann film starring Daniel Day-Lewis.Deadline broke the news about The Last of the Mohicans TV series. Nicole Kassell, who has helmed episodes of shows like Westworld, Castle Rock, and the upcoming Watchmen, will direct from a script by Fukunaga and Nicholas Osborne. Written by James Fenimore Cooper and published in 1826, The Last of the Mohicans is set in in 1757, during the French and Indian War.

The novel's story follows "the transport of the two daughters of Colonel Munro, Alice and Cora, to a safe destination at Fort William Henry. Among the caravan guarding the women are the frontiersman Natty Bumppo, Major Duncan Heyward, and the Indians Chingachgook and Uncas, the latter of whom is the novel's title character." Per Deadline, the series "will be a retelling of Cooper's French and Indian War novel that re-centers the classic tale on the unlikely romance between Uncas, a young Mohican, and Cora, the mixed-race daughter of a British colonel."

"The clash of civilizations during the Seven Years War, which frames the story of Last of the Mohicans, has been a long-time passion of mine," said Fukunaga. "It was a world war before the term even existed. The opportunity to recreate the story's strong-willed and free-thinking characters, with talents including Nick Osborne and Nicole Kassell, is incredibly exciting to me."

Kassell added:

"I am profoundly excited to be a part of this extraordinary team and to be bringing a new light and perspective to this period in our history. While the James Fenimore Cooper book and original film leave large shoes to fill, Nick and Cary's script is a riveting read and fresh take. They embrace this incredible opportunity to show and explore characters so often marginalized. To echo a sentiment Nick expressed to me in our first conversation 'certain stories are timeless vessels that allow different generations to look at it and explore them in different ways.' To be a part of bringing these eyes and hearts to the screen is the opportunity of a lifetime for me."

There have been at least nine film adaptations of the novel, the most prominent being Michael Mann's 1992 film which featured Daniel Day-Lewis running around with luxurious hair and a totally banging score by Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman. This Last of the Mohicans TV series is being developed by Paramount Television, and the talent involved should be enough to pique anyone's interest.