This episode is one of our first in a two-part series of post Dragon*Con 2009 podcasts. This episode is the audio we were able to get while one of our podcasters, Jenn, sat on a panel for the TV series, Legend of the Seeker, based on the Terry Goodkind fantasy series called The Sword of Truth Series.

Also sitting on this panel was one of the actors from the show, Craig Parker (Darken Rahl or you may remember him as Haldir from Lord of the Rings).

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UGO: What kind of reaction have you had from fans of the books?

Craig: I’ve notice a 50/50 split but I think lately fans are starting to come around to the show. I, myself, had to make the adujustment when I got the script. We love the characters and we were given permission from Terry Goodkind to work with this world and really develop it. For example we had an episode that aired a few weeks ago called “Denna” and we had a really postive repsonse from the fans. We were true to the book - the costumes and everything and we do try to give the fans a few wink winks here and there... Read more?

Who's your audience for Legend of the Seeker?

Tapert: Who is our audience? Our audience is people who enjoy fantasy, and if you look at motion pictures, who went to see Lord of the Rings? Who went to see Spider-Man? Who went to see Iron Man? We're entertainment in a broad fashion. It has a heart and soul for people who want to be made to feel through what they watch on television. And it also provides a visceral thrill. It's got big action set pieces. So we're hoping that the audiences who once enjoyed Hercules and Xena, which, although not that same group of people, but that same demographic, would hopefully show up for this, along with people who have clearly demonstrated over the years that there's a huge marketplace in the theatrical world for hero-driven fantasy entertainment...More?

“It’s really about the characters, the relationships, the love story, the politics, and all that,” he concludes. “When you are in another world that represents nothing of what you are used to in your own life, you can escape and start believing in these characters. Before you know it, you are invested in this world and buying it. The stakes become real. Okay, sure it’s the end of the world, but you get it because you are engaged by these characters.”... More?

Mr. Raimi said he became a big fan of Mr. Goodkind’s books after a friend mentioned that his son was devouring them. In particular, he said, he was attracted to the evolution of the male lead.

“He’s a boy thrust into a position of adulthood where he has to immediately become a leader and a hero,” Mr. Raimi said in a phone interview. “That is very compelling to me, especially in the context of a really fun adventure story.”

Mr. Tapert also became hooked on the story — laid out in 11 books that have sold more than 25 million copies worldwide — and saw an opening in the syndication business that had not existed in nearly a decade. ... More?

How free are you to diverge from the books--or book, since you're primarily adapting Wizard's First Rule--and maybe take those characters in another direction? Or are you planning on following them pretty closely?

Tapert: We've actually remained true to the characters, and what we've done is we've taken aspects of the book, storylines from the book, and blended those into episodes that differ from the book or run tangentially. ... We've had to, in the world of television, create events that were not portrayed in the book but still remained true to the characters, the theme and what's happening within the overarching story within the book.... More?

Keeping with Kahlan, what was it about Bridget that drew you to her for the role?

Raimi: Rob was the one who found Bridget and showed her to me. He'll have to say how he originally discovered her, but when I saw her I just thought that she was ... I believed her. I believed the things that she said. Obviously, she's striking. She's quite beautiful to look at, but a lot of actresses are beautiful. But she made these fantastic situations and fantasy situations, ... she grounded them by being very human and real. And when she expressed emotion, I was moved by her, and I believed her, and I thought we couldn't ask for anything more. Because these are stories of friendship and loyalty and self-sacrifice. And if you don't really believe the people in the center of the characters--if you don't really believe that they're rooted and someone really exists in a three-dimensional way--then those stories won't have the weight. It won't work at all. So it was her, I guess, ability to just convey that she was a solid, soulful individual. That's what convinced me. But Rob, how did you come upon her? ... More?