Fox has nabbed the rights to John Twelve Hawks’ sci-fi book series known as the Fourth Realm Trilogy, published by Random House. Fox has already attached Watchmen co-writer Alex Tse to adapt the series for the big screen, who has apparently already finished the first draft of the script.

The Fourth Realm Trilogy is a trilogy of books written by the reclusive author John Twelve Hawks which includes The Traveler, The Dark River, and The Golden City. The novels describe parallel universes, including one controlled by a shadow group called The Brethren using the Vast Machine.

Hawks is not the author’s real name, he lives “off the grid,” according to the series’ publisher Random House, and neither his editor nor agent has ever met him. Hawks, seemingly intent on imitating some of his characters’ lifestyles, communicates only via a voice scrambler and untraceable satellite phone. During his book tour he has allegedly used stand-ins, and as of February 2010, the identity of John Twelve Hawks has yet to be confirmed.

According to THR,

“The Traveler” is set in a U.S. society run by a secret organization seeking to control the population via constant observation. Seeking to rebel against these constraints are an almost extinct group of people called Travelers, who can project their spirit into other dimensions, and their protectors, called Harlequins. The story centers on a reluctant Harlequin named Maya who must protect two naive Traveler brothers.

Twelve Hawks says,

“I feel positive about the current creative team, and am waiting to see who will be picked as director.”