India-based Reliance Entertainment is heading to “Graceling,” acquiring feature rights Kristin Cashore’s young-adult fantasy trilogy as a film franchise starter in partnership with Kintop Pictures.

Producer Deepak Nayar (“Paranoia”) will oversee the project for Reliance and Kintop Pictures and will produce alongside Tabrez Noorani (“Life of Pi”) of Tamasha Talkies and Leigh Ann Burton for Blu-Sky Media. British screenwriter Piers Ashworth (“Nostradamus”) will write the script.

“Graceling” was published in 2008 as the first installment of a trilogy, followed by “Fire” and “Bitterblue.” It centers on young woman who lives in a world where select people born with an extreme skill — called a Grace — are feared and exploited. She carries the burden of the Grace of killing and, as the king’s niece, is forced to execute his dirty work.

Nayar said in a statement, “We are very excited about a potential franchise with a strong and original female lead. Graceling offers an original storyline that we haven’t seen before that combines elements of ‘Hunger Games’ and ‘Game of Thrones.’”

Reliance Entertainment and Kintop Pictures are partnered on producing young-adult franchise “Vampire Academy” along with Don Murphy and Susan Montford of Angry Films and Michael Preger. The Weinstein Co. acquired US rights to the first film in the franchise, “Blood Sisters,” at Berlin.

Cashore is represented by Julie Kane-Ritsch of the Gotham Group and Faye Bender of the Faye Bender Literary Agency. Piers Ashworth is represented by Resolution. “Graceling” is represented by Julia Scott of Rufus-Isaacs, Acland and Grantham.