The upcomingFourth Wingseries already has one major thing going for it that Hulu’s scrapped adaptation of another romantasy staple never really did.BookTok’s excitement for theFourth Wingshowhas been persistent since the announcement that the project was greenlit back in 2023. The popularity of the latest installment of the series,Onyx Storm,has only increased discussions about the adaptation online, with many speculating on when we’ll get another update and what the series will cover.
Updates on theFourth Wingshowhave been positive, withRebecca Yarros discussing the adaptation both on her social media and in-person during many of her events during theOnyx Stormbook tour.Those updates come as a great relief to her audiences like myself, who have been burned by so many frustrating news about other adaptations. One major example of that disappointment is the recentdismissal of Hulu’sA Court Of Thorns & Rosesadaptation, which has been scrapped after years of silence.
Amazon’s Fourth Wing TV Show Is Already Making More Progress Than ACOTAR’s Ever Did
Yarros' Many Updates Contrasts ACOTAR’s Silence
The progress being made on Amazon’sFourth WingTV show is already more exciting than anything Hulu’sA Court Of Thorns & Rosesever did, as Yarros' many updates have painted the picture of an on-track and accurate show. Since its initial announcement, theFourth WingTV show has made several strides forward in its early development. In 2024,Amazon hired Moira Walley-Beckett as the series' showrunner.Walley-Beckett’s previous works, which include Netflix’sAnne With An E, were a promising sign for theFourth Wingproject.
That peace continued when Yarros discussed the series during herOnyx Stormtour in 2025, stating how theFourth Wingshow would keep the characters' dialogue. Conversely,news on Hulu’sA Court Of Thorns & Roseswas kept minimal for years, with the announcement of showrunner Ronald D. Moore’s departure in 2024 the last we had heard before its cancelation a year later. Having these announcements instead of that radio does make me hopeful thatFourth WingTV show will not share the same fate as the Hulu series or several others announced adaptations whose productions have been delayed as well.
Fourth Wing’s Status Updates Give Me Hope That It Will Make It To The Screen
Several Other Fantasy Series Have Not Been As Fortunate
The status ofFourth Winggives me hope that, unlike many other popular projects, the show will be released rather than linger in development hell until it’s scrapped. WhileFourth Wing’s positive updates are exciting, fantasy adaptations moving forward swiftly are sadly rare.More often than not, fantasy projects, especially adaptations, will get sidelined due to budgeting or other factors,even if the material the adaptation is based on is widely popular. Brandon Sanderson’s works are a prime example of this, asupdates on theMistbornmoviehave been scarce despite the project having been planned out since 2010.
The Fourth Wing TV Show Can Be Amazon’s Answer To Netflix’s Massive Fantasy Deal
Netflix has acquired the rights to Quicksilver, while Amazon has secured Fourth Wing. Fourth Wing has a major advantage over its competitor.
The Inheritance Cycle’s failed film adaptation,Eragon,placed any future adaptations of the series on the backburner, with its Disney+ show having no updates. Interestingly,Eragonis similar to Fourth Wing in many ways and could make for a great live-action show. This trend of fantasy adaptations often entering development hell, combined withA Court Of Thorns & Roses' cancelation, puts a lot more pressure on theFourth Wingshow, especially as it could decide the fate of other BookTok series.
Fourth Wing’s Success Is Even More Crucial Now That Hulu Has Scrapped ACOTAR
Fourth Wing’s Success Could Shape Future Adaptations
With the cancelation of ACOTAR’s adaptation, theFourth WingTV show is more importantthan ever, as it can now set the narrative for other adaptations.Fourth Winghas become a staple of BookTok,so if it manages to have a successful live-action show, it could show studios that other famous fantasy books are worth investing in. Other adaptations could then be picked up and put out at a reasonable speed, perhaps creating another fantasy boom in the industry.
Fourth Wingand its adaptation are now more critical to both its audience and the wider BookTok community.
Conversely, if theFourth Wingshow does not work for any reason, other adaptations could suffer as a result. This would rob greater and lesser-known series and books of their chance in the spotlight, confining them to one medium and minimizing the fantasy genre as a whole. Either way,Fourth Wingand its adaptation are now more critical to both its audience and the wider BookTok community, as its release and the response to it could echo across multiple other IPs.
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.
