There are tons of fantasy projects in development in Hollywood, and many that were previously reported on have gone dark, lacking updates in recent years. The process of getting a fantasy book adapted into film or television is an immense challenge with numerous hurdles to overcome. However, with the vast popularity of Game of Thrones, the early 2020s saw a period where various streaming services all wanted to replicate this success, resulting in shows like The Wheel of Time and House of the Dragon and new titles expanding on The Lord of the Rings movies.
Despite some beloved fantasy series being adapted, none of the recent shows have reached the same level of critical or cultural acclaim as Game of Thrones. Because of this, Hollywood has quickly grown more hesitant regarding what fantasy they're willing to invest in. Warner Bros. is still developing its Harry Potter reboot series and new LOTR films, but titles like Best Served Cold, which are less prevalent to the general public, have been stalled. The 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are a big reason for delays, but many of these titles have struggled to get off the ground for years.
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Mistborn
By Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn is one of the most popular titles in 21st-century fantasy, and it's shocking the film adaptation hasn't come together after over a decade of various attempts. The author shared that in 2023, prior to the Hollywood strikes, a Mistborn movie was as close as ever to being developed, with unnamed famous actors attached to star in the project. Recently, the author's annual State of Sanderson blog post explained that the movie was back to square one.
Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere Universe is the most expansive world in contemporary fantasy, and the fact that it could offer a similar appeal to the MCU should be notable to studios trying to develop it. That being said, his stories use an abundance of magic and have vastly different world settings, so the budget required to do it right may cause studios to shy away in an era where many projects in the genre are struggling.
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The Kingkiller Chronicle
By Patrick Rothfuss
The Kingkiller Chronicle being stuck in development hell is hilarious for two reasons. First, the final book in the planned trilogy by Patrick Rothfuss is also stuck in development hell, as readers have been waiting since 2011 for it. That's just as long as readers have been waiting for George R.R. Martin's The Winds of Winter. With that in mind, the second reason is that adapting a show without completed source material could easily result in the same problems as Game of Thrones.
Fantasy often has exciting antagonists, and some iconic book villains are even more interesting than the heroes of their respective stories.
In 2015, development for this adaptation was announced for the first time with Lionsgate set to distribute it. In 2017, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda was attached to executive produce the series. To top that off, Sam Rami was attached to direct the project in 2018, meaning two prestigious names and a famous company were on board. As of January 2025, it's been a while since any updates have been revealed.
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A Court of Thorns & Roses
By Sarah J. Maas
Anyone who's familiar with contemporary fantasy has likely heard of Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thrones & Roses, a title that blew up on social media and famously blends the genre with spicy romance. A TV adaptation of ACOTAR seems like a no-brainer, given how big of a hit the books are, and Hulu was the streaming service that claimed the title, with Ronald D. Moore (Outlander, Star Trek) attached to produce. He has since departed from the project.
Hulu obtained the rights to the material back in 2021, and since Moore's departure, there hasn't been a replacement showrunner instated. A Court of Thorns & Roses may have fallen under the category of fantasy, but it targets a generally different audience pool than a series like The Wheel of Time, meaning it wouldn't necessarily experience the same pitfalls and finding viewership.
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Best Served Cold
By Joe Abercrombie
Custom image by Yailin Chacon
Best Served Cold is another adaptation that seems to have collapsed for the time being following the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, with news first releasing in May 2023 (via Deadline). This book is a standalone fantasy novel set in The First Law universe by Joe Abercrombie, another epic saga that will hopefully someday find its way to film or television. When it was first reported that the film was in development, Tim Miller (Deadpool) was set to direct.
Rebecca Ferguson, who's starred in popular book adaptation titles like Dune and Silo, was attached to the project to play the leading role
Given Joe Abercrombie's aptitude for violence in his novels, bringing on Miller seemed like a fantastic choice. Furthermore, Rebecca Ferguson, who's starred in popular book adaptation titles like Dune and Silo, was attached to the project to play the leading role. That's a terrific starting point, but there's been no news on the adaptation since.
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The Chronicles Of Amber
By Roger Zelazny
The Chronicles of Amber is a fantasy saga that began in the 1970s, written by Roger Zelazny. In early 2023, a television adaptation of the series was announced, with late-night show host Stephen Colbert set to help produce the project. Colbert, who's long been a dedicated fan of fantasy and science fiction novels like The Lord of the Rings and Dune, may not have experience in this type of television, but he's certainly passionate about the project.
The Chronicles of Amber series is cited as one of the primary inspirations for George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice & Fire book series, and the author himself even stated that he'd like to see the series get made (via Martin's blog). With that in mind, it should be an ideal candidate in the streaming service war over the next Game of Thrones, but there's been no news since the first announcement was made two years ago.
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Circe
By Madeline Miller
Madeline Miller's books are some of the most critically acclaimed fantastical works of the 2010s. Her novel, Circe, is a revisionist adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey written from the perspective of Circe, the mythical sorceress and goddess that traps Odysseus and his men on her island. In the book, she's a far more sympathetic figure, with Miller demonstrating how she was ostracized by her father and the Greek pantheon.
Deadlinereported on an adaptation of Circe being developed by HBO Max (now just Max), with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Jurassic World) set to write and produce. It's another series that's barely seen news since, despite Madeline Miller personally announcing the series on her blog. The COVID-19 Pandemic likely interfered with production, but it's shocking there haven't been any updates.
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The Inheritance Cycle
By Christopher Paolini
The Inheritance Cycle is a series of YA fantasy novels that was beloved by young readers in the 2000s, written by Christopher Paolini. Film fans may remember the adaptation of the first book in this series, Eragon. The movie was released in 2006 during Hollywood's previous wave of fantasy adaptations that followed Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films, but it found considerably less success, currently holding a 15% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
From character deaths and introductions to unfortunate plot developments, these fantasy TV moments were highly controversial with viewers.
This means that The Inheritance Cycle is following a similar route to another 2000s YA fantasy series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Both were made into poorly received films, and now both will have a home on Disney+ or at least in the case of Paolini's book, it will hope to. Following announcements in 2023, updates on this adaptation have run dry. Like most of these shows, it's still possible, but the wait continues.
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Malazan Book Of The Fallen
By Steven Erickson
Malazan Book of the Fallen is another epic fantasy series on the scale of The Wheel of Time and A Song of Ice & Fire, meaning it could be the type of multi-layered, addiction-worthy television Hollywood is looking for. The original series, written by Steven Erickson, began in 1999 with ten volumes between then and 2011. Since then, Erickson and collaborator Ian Cameron Esslemont have been expanding the world with other novels set in the universe.
Malazan is a book saga with top-level adaptation potential, and development was announced for an adaptation in 2023. Steven Erickson stated in a 2024 Facebook AMA that progress was still being made but that the project was slowed down by the strikes the prior year. There hasn't been a word in the past year, but the most recent update is still that it's slowly being chipped away at.
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Earthsea
By Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin is an accomplished author known for her exceptional work in the fantasy and sci-fi genres throughout the 20th century. Her fantasy series, which began with A Wizard of Earthsea in 1968, has been cited as an influence on Harry Potter, as it's one of the first stories to feature a wizard school. It's been adapted twice already, though neither version has achieved the success this saga deserves.
A mini-series called Legend of Earthsea was released in 2004, but the adaptation saw poor reviews, including a 52% on Rotten Tomatoes. Studio Ghibli also had an anime adaptation that came out in 2006, receiving an even lower score of 37%. In 2019, Deadlinereported a new TV adaptation with A24 set to develop the project. Again, despite a promising company name attached, Earthsea still hasn't found its way to a proper live-action series.
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The Poppy War
By R.F. Kuang
R.F. Kuang is one of the most celebrated contemporary authors, known for her work on books like Babel and Yellowface, as well as her fantasy trilogy, The Poppy War. For viewers looking for a fantasy series not inspired by medieval Europe, Kuang's Eastern influence makes this saga one of the most unique entries to the genre available. That makes the prospect of its adaptation even more thrilling, as it would be venturing into fresh territory.
Back in 2020, Deadlinereported that an adaptation was in the works with Starlight Media optioning the rights for television. That means this series was planned just two years after the first novel was published, but there's scarcely been a word on the matter since. Kuang's novel, Babel, saw an adaptation announcement more recently in 2024, meaning she could have pivoted to working on developing her newer work instead.
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