Forget ACOTAR, Sarah J. Maas' 3-Part Book Series Is The Better Adaptation Choice

5 days ago 15

The five covers the A Court of Thorns and Roses book series Sarah J. Maas over a dark blue background

Published Apr 18, 2026, 2:49 PM EDT

El is a Junior TV Features Editor for ScreenRant, with previous experience as The Mary Sue's UK and Weekend Editor. She holds a Bachelor's in International Media and Entertainment Management, as well as an MA and Ph.D. in Creative Writing. There is little she loves more than discussing her favorite TV shows with fellow fans. One day, she hopes to publish an original fantasy novel.

Now that Hulu's A Court of Thorns and Roses adaptation has officially been canceled, it's the perfect time to consider adapting another Sarah J. Maas book series entirely. Sarah J. Maas is one of the undisputed queens of romantasy, as her bestselling books blend high fantasy worlds and complex political conflicts with fated, star-crossed romance. Maas is far from the only multi-million-copy romantic fantasy bestseller, however, with fellow authors like Rebecca Yarros, Callie Hart, Devney Perry, Danielle L. Jensen, Hannah Nicole Maehrer, and more capturing readers' — and production studios' — imagination.

Amazon MGM Studios is adapting Yarros' Fourth Wing and Perry's Shield of Sparrows into a TV series and a movie, respectively. Netflix paid an eye-watering sum for the film rights to Callie Hart's Quicksilver. Legendary Television is turning Maehrer's Assistant to the Villain fairy tale romp into a TV show, and Jensen's The Bridge Kingdom, the first in a six-book series, is being developed into a movie by Red Sage Studios. It's a great time to be a romantasy reader; the genre is clearly having a moment in Hollywood.

Somehow, though, Sarah J. Maas' works have been left behind. The author recently confirmed Hulu's A Court of Thorns and Roses adaptation was off the table, and there's been no word on any other "Maasverse" projects being in development. As A Court of Thorns and Roses is Maas' most popular series (by a rather wide margin), Hulu's initial instinct made sense. However, the author has since published another intricate adult fantasy story, one that could stand out amongst the ever-growing romantasy adaptation crowd: Crescent City.

Crescent City's Setting Sets It Apart From The Romantasy Competition

The covers for all three Crescent City books against a red, green, and yellow background

Many of the most popular romantasy book series, including A Court of Thorns and Roses, are set in high-fantasy, medieval-inspired lands, filled with warring kingdoms, royal families, monsters, magic, and swords. This is no great surprise, as settings like this are a staple of the genre. Fourth Wing, Quicksilver, and the other major books currently in development will feature enough crumbling castles, hidden fortresses, rolling hills, endless rivers, and vast mountains to last viewers a lifetime.

Crescent City is different, though. While it's undeniably a fantasy narrative, it's set in a world much more like our own. Alongside shape-shifters, angels, Fae, demons, magical artifacts, and a glittering sword or two, Crescent City's primary setting is a metropolis much like those that exist today. Every character has a smartphone with internet access. They watch trashy reality TV. People ride motorbikes through quaint city streets. Bryce Quinlan, the series' lead female character, lives in a high-rise apartment building and prefers clubbing to visiting a quaint country inn.

It's a strange, compelling blend of traditional fantasy storytelling set within a contemporary setting. With so many romantasy adaptations on the horizon, Crescent City's unique worldbuilding could help it differentiate itself in what may soon be an oversaturated market. It'd also be much easier to film on location. The fact that the series is currently only three books long is a bonus — though Maas has said there will be a fourth installment — as adapting the story will be much more manageable than condensing A Court of Thorns and Roses' (soon-to-be) eight-book narrative.

A Crescent City adaptation could even function as a gateway to a hypothetical future A Court of Thorns and Roses adaptation. Without giving too much away, Bryce Quinlan does cross paths with some of the Night Court's most important characters. While the events in Crescent City's third book take place after the fifth A Court of Thorns and Roses book, A Court of Silver Flames, a TV adaptation could use that crossover to introduce Prythian in a new, altered version of Maas' multiverse. The timeline doesn't have to match exactly for the story to remain true to the source material, after all. TV and movie adaptations make those kinds of changes all the time.

What Sarah J. Maas Has Said About Her Book Adaptations

Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City book covers

It was previously rumored that Hulu's adaptation had been quietly canceled in 2024. The news was finally confirmed by Maas earlier this year in a rare interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast, in which the author not only revealed the existence of three more A Court of Thorns and Roses books (six and seven are available for pre-order now), but also what she envisions for any future adaptations of her work.

"I have the rights back to everything now," the author told host Alex Cooper, going on to explain that reclaiming those rights had taken up a significant amount of her time over the past few years. Maas further shared that she wants to be involved in all aspects of any future adaptations, including scripts, design, casting, and music. In her own words:

"I look at any TV, movie adaptation as kind of like another facet of the worlds that I've created. And it's something that I want to be in charge of. I want to be figuring out... I want to be learning everything that I can. I'm like a type A control freak a little bit, but I want to know everything about how it gets made, not because of that control, but just because I love movies, I love TV. I want to be a part of that, and I want to see everything adapted the way I envision it, and the way I know fans want it.

I don't ever want to hear, 'Oh, we need to change this to appeal to like XYZ demographic.' I'm like, no, that's not how you make art. That's not how I create my stories. So, when I do it, it's going to be me, and I will dedicate everything that I have to making it right... I will be in there, you know, looking at all the design, but also, 'what does it sound like'? Because music plays such a big part. The music is going to have to be like a huge project."

For now, the author has her hands full with her upcoming book releases. The sixth A Court of Thorns and Roses book will be published on October 27, while the seventh will be available on January 12, 2027. An eighth installment is also in the works, as well as the previously mentioned fourth Crescent City book — TV and movie projects may have to wait. Still, a hypothetical Crescent City adaptation is an undeniably tantalizing prospect, as it could open the door to many more screen-worthy Sarah J. Maas stories.