Three major streaming services have plans for adaptations of hugefantasyand romance franchises, making the stakes to be the first to premiere very high. Many of themost popular books on BookTokhave been garnering attention recently due to announcements by their authors of new projects, giving audiences more to discuss and theorize on in the intervening time. However,one key piece of recent news has truly amplified that excitement as well as added to a new trend regarding BookTok’s most beloved series.
While some announcements, such asRebecca Yarros' secretFourth Wingproject, create more anticipation for the literary side of the series, other announcements have paved the way to seeing more of these stories onscreen.Netflix’s rights deal for Callie Hart’sQuicksilveris major news for the fantasy community on Booktokas, much likeFourth Wing,Hart’s series has become a staple on the platform in a short period. That being said, theQuicksilveradaptation is not the only one in play, as other studios have their own adaptations in the works that could create some fascinating competition.
Netflix, Hulu, & Amazon Are All Making Massive Romantasy Adaptations
Quicksilver, ACOTAR, And Fourth Wing Have Been Picked Up By Each Studio Respectively
These three major streaming platforms are all making adaptations of Booktok’s three major romantasy series, though when each fantasy project will premiere could vary based on update rates. As mentioned,Netflix acquired the rights to Hart’sQuicksilverin late 2024, though no news on whether it is meant to be a series or a film has been released yet. This comes after Amazon’s MGM Studios announced their adaptation ofFourth Wingin 2023, creating competition with Hulu’s long-awaited adaption of Sarah J. Maas’s famous series.
Netflix’s Quicksilver Adaptation Is Exciting, But The Books Already Raise A Major Concern
While the news of Netflix’s Quicksilver adaptation is exciting, the books have already raised one major concern for the project’s future.
Hulu’sA Court Of Thorns & Roseswas the first of these romantasy series adaptations announced in 2021, seemingly sparking this trend. Unlike the other two series, though,updates onA Court Of Thorns & Roseshave been scarce, the latest announcement being the loss of their showrunner Ronald D. Moore. Netflix and Amazon’s own projects, though, could turn this around, forcing Hulu to reprioritize the adaptation and begin a race to see which fantasy series goes up first and determines the fates of these projects once and for all.
The First Romantasy TV Show To Premiere Could Determine The Future Of The Others
Other Adaptations Of Smaller Series Could Be Made If These Take Off
Whichever of these three fantasy shows premieres first would likely determine the future of other BookTok-related projects for better or worse. These three adaptations alongside several others are largely moving slowly development-wise, with little detail available about each. Yet,if the first premiere goes well, that long wait would likely result in a sudden rush in these other projects from studios wanting to compete,giving audiences fresh perspectives on the stories they love and perhaps introducing new audiences to them.
Conversely, if the first one doesn’t work, other studios may no longer wish toadapt other BookTok books, leaving those projects unfinished as other more lucrative priorities for the studios take over.The potential for smaller projects would also vanish, as studios would not want to risk another failure, especially on a lesser-known work. If that were to be the case, then many of BookTok’s favoritefantasyseries would risk never getting a screen adaptation.
A Court of Thorns and Roses
Based on theA Court of Thorns and Rosesfantasy novel series, A Court of Thorns and Roses is a television adaptation that follows Feyre Archeron, a young woman dragged into the world of faeries after slaying one of their kind. The series will follow her journey through the lands of Prythian and her relationship with one of its lords, Tamlin.
Fourth Wing
Based on the novel series by Rebecca Yarros, Fourth Wing is an action-adventure fantasy series in development for Prime Video. Announced in 2024, Fourth Wing will follow the adventures of a young woman named Violet Sorrengail, who has been taken from her peaceful book-reading life and thrust into a world of danger when she is forced by her mother to join an elite group of dragon-riding warriors.
