ITV have announced the streaming date for a forgotten sci-fi series which features an Oscar nominee and an Indiana Jones legend in its cast.
Austin Butler's Early Career
One of the fastest rising stars in the world of movies in recent years is undoubtedly Austin Butler. The 34-year-old initially developed his craft in a range of popular children’s TV shows. His first major role was playing a love interest in the Jamie Lynn Spears Nickelodeon series Zoey 101. From here he had recurring parts on The CW's Life Unexpected and Switched at Birth.
Establishing himself as a trusted TV actor, Butler played a major role in The Carrie Diaries. The series served as a prequel to Sex And The City, with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s AnnaSophia Robb playing the role made famous by Sarah Jessica Parker.
Butler's Film Breakthrough
Butler's film breakthrough came as Tex Watson, a member of the Manson family, in Quentin Tarantino's period dramedy Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. However, it’s work as Elvis which made him the star he is today. Playing the King of Rock in Baz Luhrmann's biopic, which also starred Tom Hanks, Butler won a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award. He lost out on the Academy Award for Best Actor to Brendan Fraser’s comeback performance in The Whale.
Since then, Butler has gone on to star in the Apple TV+ miniseries Masters of the Air, Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic Dune: Part Two and Darren Aronofsky's crime thriller Caught Stealing. Looking ahead to the future, he’s rumoured to have snapped up a role in Michael Mann’s long-awaited sequel to Heat.
The Shannara Chronicles
However, what many fans aren’t aware of is that Butler played a major role in a sci-fi show that slipped under the radar in the 2010s. Titled The Shannara Chronicles, both seasons are coming to ITVX this summer.
The first series introduces viewers to an Earth that’s divided into what is known as the Four Lands after the destruction of our civilisation occurred thousands of years ago. The Four Lands’ inhabitants are a mix of races including elves, dwarves, trolls, gnomes and humans. At the center of things is the Shannara family, whose descendants are empowered with ancient magic and whose adventures continuously reshape the future of the world. The series is an adaptation of The Sword of Shannara trilogy of fantasy novels by Terry Brooks.
An ITV spokesperson said: “The second series is set a year after the first and The Four Lands are in chaos. The re-emergence of magic has the populace terrified, and an organization called The Crimson is hunting down magic users, using fear and intimidation to sow discord among the races.”
Cast and Streaming Date
Starring alongside Butler in the series are the likes of Charmed’s Poppy Drayton, Pan's Labyrinth’s Ivana Baquero, Spartacus’ Manu Bennett, Big Time Rush’s Malese Jow, My Babysitter's a Vampire’s Vanessa Morgan and Indiana Jones’ John Rhys-Davies.
The Shannara Chronicles will be available to stream on ITVX from July 12.
