Press release

HarperCollinsCanada is thrilled to announce that the upcoming buzzy fantasy novel Dawn of the Firebird penned by Canadian author, Sarah Mughal Rana, has been optioned by Jabal Entertainment and VR Chili Production for a prequel television series. Currently in development, the series is set to be filmed in 2026.

On the adaptation news, Sarah Mughal Rana commented, “I am delighted to collaborate with a team that understands the heart and grit of Dawn of the Firebird. Amid the court intrigue, alliances, and the fight for the throne, is a story of finding and holding onto love in all of its forms, while resisting darkness. This prequel delves into the early lives of the book’s main cast, which is such a treat! It’s great to be working with a team that is committed to faithfully adapt this world on-screen.”

For fans of The Poppy Wars, She Who Became the Sun, and The Will of the Many, Dawn of the Firebird (on-sale Dec 2^nd, 2025) is a breathtaking fantasy novel about the daughter of an overthrown emperor, Khamilla Zahr-zad, whose life has been built on a foundation of violent and vengeance training to maintain her father’s throne. When her clansmen are assassinated, Khamilla joins the enemy’s army school full of jinn, magic, and martial arts, as she risks it all to topple her adversaries, but the more she excels, the more she is faced with history that contradicts her father’s teachings. With a war brewing among the kingdoms and a new twisted magic overtaking the land, Khamilla is torn between two impossible choices: vengeance or salvation.

Mughal Rana is represented by Paige Terlip at the Andrea Brown Agency who repped the film and TV rights on her behalf, alongside Matt Saver, her entertainment attorney. Dawn of the Firebird will be published by Bloomsbury in the UK on December 4th, and Hanover Square Press in the US on December 2nd.

To request an advance copy of Dawn of the Firebird or an interview with Sarah Mughal Rana, please contact Lauren.Ridgewell@harpercollins.com

Author Bio

SARAH MUGHAL RANA is a Muslim author and student who completed her bachelor’s with honours at the University of Toronto and is now at Oxford University, studying at the intersection of economics and policy. She is a BookTok personality and the co-host of the On The Write Track podcast, where she enjoys spilling tea with her favourite authors about the book world. Her debut YA novel, Hope Ablaze, was published in February 2024. Outside of school, she falls down history rabbit holes and trains in traditional martial arts.