5. The Nightmareverse series by L.L. McKinney
Alice Kingston is a teenaged Black girl living in Atlanta, Georgia and a warrior known as a Dreamwalker. Together with her mentor, Addison Hatta, she fights Nightmares, creatures that serve as the embodiment of human fear. When Hatta ends up poisoned, Alice must journey deep into Wonderland to search for a cure and face a darkness that threatens Wonderland and the real world.
It is past time for a new, urban fantasy tv series that blends reality and the fantastical so seamlessly. This modern take on Alice in Wonderland shows that the true monsters can literally be right in our own backyard and within ourselves, whether in the form of police brutality or the grief of a daughter who has lost her father. Action packed with memorable characters, The Nightmareverse deserves a Netflix series worthy of its greatness.
4. The Vampire Huntress Legend series by L.A. Banks
For those who want an urban fantasy tv series for grown folks, the Vampire Huntress Legend series by the late, great L.A. Banks is practically begging to be adapted. This whopping twelve book series tells the story of Dawn Richards, hip hop artist by day and a vampire hunter by night. Combining horror with urban fantasy with more than a little sexiness, this underappreciated series has more than enough action and adventure for a Netflix adaptation.
While it would be a challenge to adapt all the books into a live action series or film, the payoff would be worth it. You’d get a kick-ass adult Black woman heroine, epic worldbuilding involving hunters/huntresses and vampires, and plenty of twists and turns that is binge-worthy. Not to mention a possible chance to redeem Nicole Beharie by having her play the title role.
3. Dossouye by Charles Saunders
Set in an alternate fantasy version of Africa, Dossouye is a collection of short fiction about an orphaned girl named Dossouye who becomes a soldier in the kingdom of Abomey. After saving Abomey from a rival kingdom, but an incident causes her to go into exile. Now, she must learn to fend for herself in the rain forest with her mighty war bull Gbo, finding a new purpose that will eventually make her a legend in her land.
Given the popularity of Marvel’s all-woman military bodyguard characters the Dora Milaje from Black Panther, it would not be hard to tap into the demographic that wants more capable Black female characters in fantasy and adapt Dossouye into a live-action film. Moreover, Dossouye is only the second character of Saunders’ stories to be set in an alternate Africa; there is also Imaro. a Black male warrior. If Netflix wanted, they could kill two birds with one stone and put Imaro and Dossouye in one movie.
2. The Prey of The Gods by Nicky Drayden
Speaking of fictional versions of Africa, The Prey of Gods blends sci-fi and fantasy in some of the best ways possible. Told through the eyes of four different characters, this introspective and epic story has personal robot attendants, a trippy drug called Godsend, and an ancient demi-goddess that wants to return the world to the dark ages. Now, a winged girl named Nomulva, a gay teen that can control minds, a closeted trans councilperson with a powerful voice, and a pained popstar must come together to save the world.
While a live action movie adaptation seems the most obvious route, the book might work well as an episodic live action tv series as well. A tv series would allow viewers to spend more time getting to know the compelling characters by focusing on a different character with each episode. By the time the big climax finally arrives, viewers will have found at least one character to root for.
1. Legend of The Mantimaji by Eric Dean Seaton
Elijah Alexander is a rising district attorney who’s got the looks, a loving mom, and a potential girlfriend in the form of Detective Sydney Spencer. When a mysterious attack leaves his mother dead, Elijah discovers that he is the descendant of a race of mystical knights known as The Mantimaji. Armed with newfound power, Elijah and newfound allies must track down the ancient forces responsible for his mother’s death and save the world from darkness.
Not only is Eric Dean Seaton a comic book creator, but he is also a director and producer of shows such as “Greenleaf” and “Grown-ish”. Furthermore, there is already a Legend of The Mantamaji short film. It would be a no brainer to hire Seaton and others to work on a full-length film or a tv series and fully bring the graphic novels to life onscreen.
************************************************************************************************************************
Latonya Pennington is a freelance writer from the southern United States specializing in entertainment and pop culture. In addition to BlackSci-Fi.com, her pop culture work can be found on The Mary Sue, Black Girl Nerds, and Buzzfeed. When she isn’t freelancing, she can be found tweeting, reading, doing creative writing, or streaming music, shows and anime online. Find her on Twitter.
