MTV is developing a drama series based on Terry Brooks’ Sword of Shannara novels, according to Hollywood Reporter.  Iron Man director Jon Favreau will direct and executive produce, and Smallville showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar will write and executive produce if the show goes to series.  The MTV development deal is direct-to-series, so will bypass the pilot stage if the script is approved.

The deal is through Sonar Entertainment, which acquired the rights to the series last year (see "'Shannara' TV Rights Acquired").  As per Sonar’s plan, the show will be based on The Elfstones of Shannara, the second book in the series.

There are 25 books in the series, which was launched in 1977.  It’s the most popular fantasy series that has yet to be adapted to film or TV, with 26 million books in print in the U.S. alone.

Del Rey published a graphic novel in the Shannara universe back in 2008 (see "Del Rey's First Original Graphic Novel").