'Saga' Creators Still Say No Movie, But A Lin-Manuel Miranda Musical? Sure!

For a comic series that will not be adapted into a film or television show at any point in the near future, I sure have written many words about Saga on this film and television website. Perhaps it's because Saga, written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples, is one of the best comics I've ever read. Maybe it's because I'm just tickled by two comic creators deliberately shunning the fat paycheck that would come with selling the rights. Eh, it's both!

But now, Vaughan and Staples have opened the door just a crack: they wouldn't say no to Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda making a musical adaptation.

In a new interview with Vulture (ahead of the comic beginning a new story arc next month), Vaughan and Staples made it clear that yes, they were aware that Thor: Ragnarok star Tessa Thompson has declared that she'd love to star in a Saga movie and while they're flattered, they still have no plans to adapt the series.

But then the interviewer throws them a curveball: what about Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Tony-award winning artist who wrote and starred in Broadway's Hamilton before receiving an Oscar nomination for his songwriting in Disney's Moana? As wacky as this connection may seem, Miranda had praised Saga to the New York Times, saying the R-rated sci-fi space opera was "an incredible world in which to get lost." Now this seemed to get the attention of Vaughan and Staples:

Vaughan: Yeah, I love that column about creators and books in the Times, so I was reading it myself when I saw that epic Saga shout-out. We've never spoken with Mr. Miranda, but seeing Hamilton on stage was one of the greatest experiences of my artistic life, and it's a ridiculous honor to know he reads our work. I know I said we're not pursuing adaptations, but if Lin-Manuel ever wants to mount a Saga musical, it's all his, wouldn't you say, Fiona?

Staples: Absolutely! I bet Fard has great pipes.

Those of you who have read Saga and know Fard will get that joke. Everyone else...maybe don't Google that. Trust me. Please.

This is all very silly and it's not going to happen (like ever), but I love this for two reasons. First, it's always lovely to see artists from disparate fields appreciate one another's work. Knowing that the team behind a filthy adults-only space opera about the difficulties of parenting in a dangerous galaxy appreciates the work of a genius songwriter and composer who spent years adapting the life of Alexander Hamilton into a hip-hop stage musical (and vice versa) makes me happy! Second, Miranda is actually perfectly suited to adapt Saga, as his attention to character and his ability to condense massive swaths of story into a single memorable song would be a perfect fit for this sprawling comic series.

But for now, we'll just have to make do with Saga being a great comic and Miranda adapting The Kingkiller Chronicles for Showtime.