9 Fantasy Book Series That’d Make Fantastic TV Shows
TV executives giveth, and TV executives taketh away. As excitement builds around the TV adaptation of Rebecca Yarros’ romantasy book Fourth Wing, Hulu has scrapped its TV adaptation of Sarah J. Maas’ romantasy book A Court of Thorns and Roses.
Variety shared the ACOTAR update on Valentine’s Day, adding that Maas intends to shop her story’s TV rights to another studio and platform once Disney’s option has expired.
If Hulu execs or any other small-screen brass are looking for other fantasy series to adapt, though, they have countless options. Here are epic fantasy series waiting to jump from the bookshelf to the television set.
The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
How did a prodigy performer grow up to become a fugitive innkeeper hiding from the legend of his life? Let Kvothe tell you himself in this series that George R. R. Martin wishes he wrote, one filled with magic and metafiction. A TV adaptation was in the works at Showtime until stalling in 2019.
The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
Brian Sanderson, who finished Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time book series, said this year it’s not “the right time” for an adaptation of his Stormlight Archive, as streaming TV “hasn’t figured out epic fantasy yet.” But fans are still hoping to see the land of Roshar — a storm-ravaged realm awaiting the return of the mythical Knights Radiant — come to the screen.
The Poppy War Series by R. F. Kuang
Launched with a World Fantasy Award nominee, this is a fantasy saga based on 20th-century Chinese history, a story about an orphan accepted into an elite military school and gifted with the power of shamanism and a connection to the gods. A TV adaptation was in the works in 2020 but now seems dormant.
The Dark Star Trilogy by Marlon James
With two books out so far, including a National Book Award finalist, this series draws from African history and mythology as Man Booker Prize winner Marlon James tells a tale of a missing child and a tracker who risks his life to find him. Michael B. Jordan and Warner Bros. picked up the rights in 2019, but there’s been little word since then.
The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin
Jordan also signed on to produce an adaptation of N. K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth Trilogy, that development coming in 2021. The science fantasy story is set on a supercontinent called the Stillness, where fifth seasons bring cataclysmic natural disasters and “orogenes” can control the world’s energy under the brutal authority of their guardians.
The Invisible Library Series by Genevieve Cogman
Genevieve Cogman told fans on Reddit she “would love it” if a TV writer took a crack at her Invisible Library Series. The story is set in alternate worlds falling on a spectrum of order and chaos, in which books serve as stabilizing forces. Librarian Irene and assistant Kai maintain balance by acquiring books for the interdimensional Invisible Library.
The Sunbearer Duology by Aiden Thomas
Aiden Thomas, author of the bestselling Cemetery Boys, returned with this two-book series following Teo, a trans semidiós (or demigod), as he vies for fame, glory, and survival in the titular competition. The winner earns honor of carrying the light and life of the Sun to all the temples of Reino de Sol; the loser, meanwhile, sacrifices their life to fuel the Sun Stones.
Cerulean Chronicles by T.J. Klune
From a Lambda Literary Award winner comes this YA fantasy series about a Department in Charge of Magical Youth caseworker who, in The House in the Cerulean Sea, is tasked with checking in on an orphanage. Turns out, that orphanage is home to six children: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist.
The Roots of Chaos by Samantha Shannon
A feminist take on the Saint George and the Dragon legend, The Roots of Chaos is a matriarchal high fantasy with dragon riders, mages, and a reawakening evil known as the Nameless One. Samantha Shannon “really hope[s]” for a TV adaptation of the series, which starts with The Priory of the Orange Tree, but suspects the dragons might be a budgetary obstacle!
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