Book adaptations are a special kind of joy and pain for readers, but that’s especially true when you spend years waiting for them to come to fruition. Though terrible adaptations can be devastating for fans, big fantasy hits like Game of Thrones prove they can work both for existing fans and newcomers alike. But though many series have been picked up in the wake of some major hits, several of the most anticipated fantasy book adaptations have really stalled.
The last few years have seen a few major, long-awaited series officially canceled. In 2023, Netflix ditched its Shadow of Bones adaptation after just two seasons. The planned Six of Crows follow-up got scrapped altogether. But while those cancellations are tragic for fans, many fantasy readers are stuck wondering whether their book adaptations will ever cross the finish line.
Some books are optioned for film or TV adaptations, but linger in limbo. So-called “development hell” can happen to projects for many reasons. For fantasy books in particular, the cost-benefit analysis for CGI budgets can take ages. That means series that seem like obvious wins, including ACOTAR, can spend years in pre-production before they ever hit our screens.
Mistborn Has Hope But a Long Road Ahead After Several False Starts
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Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series has seen quite a few false starts in the adaptation realm over the years. The wildly popular fantasy series has been optioned a few times, but prior attempts to bring the series to the screen fell through. However, hope for a Mistborn adaptation is far from dead.
Earlier this year, Apple TV snagged the rights for the entire Cosmere universe. Better yet, they asked Sanderson himself to write the script. The author confirmed that he’s got a good feeling about this latest adaptation attempt. Even so, the fact that we’ve been waiting for so long to see an adaptation come to life lands this project solidly in the development hell category.
A Court of Thorns and Roses Got Canceled at Hulu, But Maas Isn’t Giving Up Yet
Given how popular ACOTAR is in the book world, an adaptation seems like an obvious move. Yet Hulu let the rights lapse without ever bringing the series to fruition, leading to a devastating cancellation. But it’s not all bad news for fans. Earlier this year, Maas confirmed she’s not given up on getting her series made into a movie or TV series. She is working to find another studio willing to take on the project.
The trouble with ACOTAR is that, while the books are popular, they’ll require a good bit of CGI to bring to life. The series is set primarily in a fantasy realm, and the big budget attached ultimately scared Hulu away. Though there could be a Game of Thrones in it for whoever steps up to the plate next, more recent fumbles like Shadow and Bone likely have studios scared to spend on such high-budget projects with no guarantee of success.
You can purchase A Court of Thorns and Roses Every Highly Anticipated Fantasy Book Adaptation.
Fablehaven Could Be a Crowdfunding Success
Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven series is a modern fantasy classic by many rights, with over 3.5 million copies sold. And yet, despite a few studios poking at the project over the years, it’s yet to get a single adaptation. That could finally be about to change, however.
A recent Fablehaven crowdfunding project on Backerkit soared past full funding and then some. In theory, that means Angel Studios is finally going to make a Fablehaven adaptation a reality. Since the campaign wrapped in April, the company has provided sporadic updates on social media. But it will likely be some time yet before the movie comes to fruition.
The Kingkiller Chronicle Is On Indefinite Hiatus
Lionsgate Studio optioned the rights to adapt Patrick Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicle series over 10 years ago. Since then, we’ve seen a few false starts, including a Showtime prequel series with Lin-Manuel Miranda. After that series fell through, Lionsgate has resumed its search for a network or streaming service to pick it up.
In part, the hesitation to pull the trigger on The Kingkiller Chronicle could be related to its unfinished status. Though wildly popular, the series hasn’t yet released its final book. Showtime, and other studios Lionsgate tries to approach, may be worried about repeating the old Game of Thrones problem. As such, we might be waiting a while before this project gains any traction.
You can purchase The Name of the Wind Every Highly Anticipated Fantasy Book Adaptation.
These Fantasy Series Were Announced Years Ago, And We’ve Had Silence Ever Since
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In theory, the next several years could deliver on some massive fantasy adaptations. There are quite a few big series that have announced TV or movie versions on the way. However, many have stalled out, with few updates since their initial adaptations. There’s always hope that they’re moving forward behind the scenes, as none of these fantasy adaptations have been officially canceled, either.
- The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang – Starlight Media announced plans to develop a TV series based on The Poppy War back in 2020. Since then, we’ve heard little about the project, though it also hasn’t been officially scrapped.
- The Broken Earth by N.K. Jemisin – Sony Pictures snagged the rights to adapt Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy for TV back in 2021, and it wasn’t cheap. Since then, though, Sony has said little about its plans for the Hugo Award-winning series.
- The Black Company by Glen Cook – Back in 2017, a live-action TV series based on The Black Company was announced. Yet despite no official cancellation news, the project is more or less presumed dead due to how long it’s been since we’ve heard anything.
- Circe by Madeline Miller – HBO Max announced plans for an 8-episode series based on Circe back in 2019. Despite having writers and producers attached, the project is still in limbo with no major updates for years.
- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo – Amazon optioned the rights to Ninth House back in 2019, not long after its release. However, since Netflix’s adaptation of Shadow and Bone by the same author stumbled, it’s not too surprising Amazon has said little about their plans for Ninth House.
- The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake – Amazon also picked up The Atlas Six following its viral BookTok fame back in 2021. Since then, though, we’ve had no updates on its status.
- His Majesty’s Dragon / Temeraire by Naomi Novik – Fox announced plans to adapt Naomi Novik’s His Majesty’s Dragon as an adult animated series back in 2022. And ever since, it’s been crickets.
- Legendborn by Tracy Deonn – In 2022, Black Bear Television announced plans to adapt Legendborn for TV. At that time, the series had a writer and producer attached, but has yet to be publicly picked up by a network or streaming service.
These Books Have Been Optioned, But That’s About All We Know
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As many writers know, books are often optioned without ever getting adapted. This step just means that someone has paid for exclusive rights to adapt a book, if they decide to. It doesn’t mean they plan to move forward so much as they see enough promise in a series that they want to avoid letting anyone else get ahold of it. That means these series are even less likely to happen than those that have been formally announced.
- The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny – In 2023, Stephen Colbert stepped in to produce a TV series based on the Chronicles of Amber books, alongside Skybound Entertainment. However, the series has yet to find a studio or streaming service to pick it up.
- The Mediator by Meg Cabot – Meg Cabot’s beloved YA fantasy series about a teenager who can see (and punch) ghosts has had a few false starts over the years. Netflix let the rights lapse a few years ago, but author Meg Cabot has hinted that the series has once again been optioned, though no formal announcements have been made.
- The Gentleman Bastard by Scott Lynch – The fantasy series that starts with The Lies of Locke Lamora has been optioned a few different times, most recently by Phoenix Pictures. However, it has yet to be officially greenlit for production and remains in limbo.
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