Don’t panic, Discworld fans, to use the words of another British humorist. Terry Pratchett hasn’t given up the writing ghost yet, he’s just planning for the future. And those plans include his only child, Rhianna Pratchett, already a pretty accomplished writer in nerd spheres.

A television show based on the fertile setting of Terry Pratchett‘s Ankh-Morpork city guards has been a long time coming, despite its seeming obviousness, so you’ll have to forgive us if we have to keep reassuring ourselves that it’s actually happening. Sir Terry himself stopped by New York Comic Con yesterday, nominally to talk about his new novel Dodger, but of course folks were interested in Discworld events, on the page or otherwise.

It’s been known that a Discworld television show based in the fictional city of Ankh-Morpork and the cast of characters it is associated with has been in various stages of preproduction discussion for more than a year now. In fact, there’s even video evidence of Sir Terry Pratchett talking with writers about coppers starting up an inter-species band, the trickiness of humane prisoner treatment, and what it might be like to have the undead coming in to file reports on their own murders.

But last weekend the annual Discworld convention was held in Birmingham, England, and it promised a panel hosted by the team behind BBC Worldwide’s fabled Discworld project, and an announcement.

Anyone else get the feeling that Hollywood is out of ideas? Take a look at this summer’s studio releases. What do you see? A lot of entries into pre-existing franchises (The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man, Prometheus), a sequel or twelve (Men in Black III, Madagascar 3), some additions to the “edgy kid’s story” genre that’s refused to die since Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland made bank, two movies based on self-help books (Think Like a Man, What to Expect When You’re Expecting), and one that draws its inspiration from a board game (Battleship). Look, I’m not here to pooh-pooh the idea of sequels, prequels, reboots, remakes—there are some ridiculously unnecessary ones, sure, but if I told you my level of anticipation for The Dark Knight Rises is not positively stratospheric I’d be lying.

I’m not asking that Hollywood start coming out with original content or anything, because A) that’s what indie movies are for, and B) it would be unrealistic. Hollywood exists to make money. If people pay to see Madagascar 3, they’re going to make Madagascar 4. That’s how it works. But still. Movie versions of Candy Land (and Adam Sandler is attached, oh goodie!), Stretch Armstrong, and the Ouija board are in the works. Hollywood, I implore you: If you’re going to adapt something, can’t it be something good?

Terry Pratchett is one of our favorite fantasy authors, the Discworld series being a place that we’ve returned to time and time again… He has also been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s and since then has become a personally invested advocate of Alzehimer’s research and of the legalization of assisted death.

His documentary Choosing to Die was released in June, but we only became aware of it today. And when I heard him say “When I can no longer write my books, I’m not sure that will want to go on living,” it was hard to not listen to the reasoned case and research of a man whose written work has given me so much joy. Especially as someone who wants to write books myself.

(via I Heart Chaos.)

One of the coolest dads ever, Anthony Herrera, is at it again. You might recall that last we heard from him, Mr. Herrera had Photoshopped Ewoks into some family pictures taken at Sequoia National Park because his daughter is a huge Star Wars fan. It also happens that she is a fan of the Disney princesses. Well now, he’s combined the best of both of her worlds by having this cake created for her birthday by family friend Trisha Patterson. Thanks for the tip, Anthony! (via Anthony Herrera Designs)

According to Wikipedia, “stereotypes of librarians in popular culture are frequently negative: librarians are portrayed as puritanical, punitive, unattractive, and introverted if female, or timid, unattractive, and effeminate if male.”

But there are plenty of kick ass librarians in fiction! Like all the time… when they are allowed to be main characters… and aren’t one-scene jokes… um.

So, we made a Power Grid. Yes, this is usually how these things go.

He said: “The only thing stopping me [signing them] is that I have made this film and I have a bloody book to finish.”

But he stressed that he was as yet still undecided whether he would eventually take his own life.

He said he changed his mind “every two minutes” but added that if he did choose to die would prefer to do so in England and in the sunshine.

The Telegraph’s piece on Sir Terry Pratchett‘s continuing assisted suicide advocacy is misleadingly, if factually, titled “Sir Terry Pratchett begins process that could lead to assisted suicide.” BoingBoing takes the whole thing a step further with the headline “Terry Pratchett initiates assisted suicide process.” But Don’t Panic just yet, if I may be allowed to borrow a line from one of Sir Terry’s former contemporaries.

Righteous. By artist Hupao, who likes his geek icons. (At Geek Tyrant)

As if they completely understood fan skepticism of an on-going show based on beloved novels from a series that has had some considerable dud adaptations before… the writers behind the upcoming cop show set in the Discworld‘s Ankh-Morpork filmed their brain storming session with Sir Terry Pratchett himself.

And… it’s delightful. It’s clear that the writers will not only be free to expand upon the setting that Pratchett has created: they understand exactly what works as well. Policeman’s charity balls, a bunch of coppers starting a band, and the mentioned-but-never-quite-featured-in-the-books first of it’s kind hospital run by Dr. John “Mossy” Lawn.

…how fast can we get this show on Netflix?

(via Topless Robot.)