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Amazon MGM Studios moved quickly on this one. It did not take long for the news to surface. Just a week before publication, Katabasis, the new novel by R. F. Kuang, was already set on a different track. Variety reported that Amazon MGM is developing the book for television, with Angela Kang, known for The Walking Dead, attached as writer and showrunner. The studio secured the rights even before readers had the chance to hold the novel, a move that suggests a certain urgency, or maybe simply confidence in Kuang’s name.
This type of announcement tends to feel sudden, but it also fits the pattern of how adaptations happen now. Books with anticipation around them are often picked up early, sometimes even before release. The idea seems clear: do not wait for sales to prove what is already expected.
The story at its core
The novel sets its tone in Cambridge, where Alice Law studies Magick. Her professor, Grimes, is gone, but his absence does not close the door. Instead, it opens another path. Alice descends into the underworld to bring him back, not for sentiment alone, but because his recommendation letter might secure her future. The logic feels absurd and yet fits the satirical frame Kuang has built.
Peter Murdoch, Alice’s rival, joins the journey. Two students locked in competition, now forced to walk the same road. Their path leads through Hell, with the promise of finding Grimes somewhere inside its courts. The setup turns rivalry into survival, and survival into something much stranger.
How Amazon MGM frames the adaptation
Amazon MGM Studios has described the series as:
A dark academia fantasy in which two graduate students in Magick must put aside their rivalry and journey through Hell to save their professor’s soul, perhaps at the cost of their own.
The list of producers already gives the project its shape: Angela Kang, R. F. Kuang, Mandy Safavi, Ben Smith, and Jeffrey Weiner. Adam Docksey joins as co-executive producer for Captivate Entertainment.
Angela Kang’s involvement
Kang steps into this project with experience in building long-form stories that lean on tension and conflict. She was set to lead Silk: Spider Society, a Marvel project later cancelled, but continues under a multi-year overall deal with Amazon MGM. Her track record with The Walking Dead is widely known, and she remains an executive producer on The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Years before that, her first credits included writing on FX’s Terriers. These details add weight to the adaptation, as her background connects with darker tones and ensemble storytelling.
The author behind Katabasis
R. F. Kuang has moved quickly from debut to international recognition. Babel in 2022 explored empire and language at Oxford in the nineteenth century. Yellowface in 2023 looked at race and publishing in a sharp, satirical fashion. Before those came The Poppy War trilogy, published from 2018 to 2020, a sweeping Chinese-inspired fantasy.
According to Variety, Kuang studied at Cambridge and Oxford and is now a PhD candidate at Yale. Her works have sold more than four million copies worldwide. These achievements make it easier to see why Amazon MGM stepped in early for Katabasis.
Publication details
The book itself will be released on August 26, 2025, by Harper Voyager. It is presented as an academic satire with fantasy elements, dark academia in tone and setting. Cambridge is not only the backdrop but also part of the conflict, where academic competition turns into literal descent. The mythological frame adds layers to what could otherwise be read as a story of students and professors.
Where the series stands now
At this stage, the series is only beginning. There is no casting, no filming schedule, no announced premiere. Variety reports that the series is in the works. Reports in secondary outlets have suggested Prime Video as the eventual home, but Amazon MGM has not made that detail official. What is known is that the project is alive, with creative leadership defined and production partners already listed.
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Closing thoughts
The journey of Katabasis is only starting, first as a book, then as a series. Amazon MGM has placed its bet, and Angela Kang is set to guide the adaptation. R. F. Kuang’s role as executive producer keeps the link between page and screen. The wait for publication in August 2025 will come first, while the series development runs in parallel. It is not yet a finished product, but already stands as one of the notable adaptations in progress.
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