Secret societies, electrified gender roles,
and a post-apocalyptic adventure backed by some of the biggest names in fantasy. These
mystical book-to-TV adaptations are slated for the small screen!
Sarah J. Maas is one of the most popular fantasy romance authors working today,
and her A Court of Thorns and Roses series has helped introduce a number
of new readers to the genre. The first book in the series, centered on a human huntress who is
taken to the neighboring faerie realm, has sold millions of copies worldwide.
"There is adventure, and lots and lots of romance, and another complex, interesting heroine."
Outlander fans should be particularly excited for this adaptation, as series creator Ronald
D. Moore is heading the project. While there probably won't be any time travel,
A Court of Thorns and Roses is just as steamy and even more magical than the
long-running Showtime series based on the novels of Diana Gabaldon.
We don't know much more about the TV adaptation, which may be due to the fact that the series
order leaked long before it was supposed to be announced. In fact, Maas' husband may
have been the first to leak the news in an Instagram post about a sandwich, which then
led to the author herself making a more complete announcement on her own Instagram page. Though it
seems the series is still a ways off, fans can expect it to stream on Hulu once it does drop.
Red Queen gives readers an interesting twist on classism with the premise that a person's
blood color determines where they stand in the social structure of Victoria Aveyard's
fantasy world. In Red Queen, those with red blood are typical commoners,
while those born with silver blood in their veins have god-like powers and are
seen as royalty. Fans of Game of Thrones will be familiar with the power struggle in this novel,
and the planned TV adaptation should bring in viewers of similar taste.
According to Variety, Red Queen has a series order at Peacock and is being spearheaded by
Hunger Games actress Elizabeth Banks. The star is set to direct, produce, and play a supporting
role in the series. Banks originally wanted to adapt Red Queen to film back in 2015. However,
since there are now a number of sequels, a series may be a better fit for the project.
Leigh Bardugo has already seen massive success with her books,
as parts of her Grishaverse novels have already been turned into a Netflix series.
However, Ninth House is completely separate from Bardugo's Shadow and
Bone universe, and even falls under a different fantasy novel subgenre.
Bardugo's 2019 novel is a paranormal fantasy crossed with a murder mystery.
Ninth House takes place at Yale, where there are nine secret societies within
the university. The book explores the magic behind each. The first novel in the series
centers around Galaxy "Alex" Stern, who is investigating a campus murder.
According to Deadline, Bardugo is acting as executive producer for the series,
which was purchased by Amazon Studios in a lively bidding war. Pouya Shahbazian, who adapted the
Divergent series and Bardugo's own Shadow and Bone books, is also a producer on the project.
The TV adaptation of Naomi Alderman's feminist sci-fi fantasy novel The Power began casting
in 2019 and started production a year later. Unfortunately, production was halted shortly
thereafter due to the pandemic. The series is back in development, but reshoots will need to happen
as cast members Leslie Mann and Tim Robbins dropped from the cast during the long hiatus.
The series takes place in an alternate universe
where women develop the ability to send an electrical current through their fingers,
which affords them positions of power over their male counterparts.
"What if women, and not men, were the sex who could do more physical harm?
Who could cause more pain?"
It has been compared to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, and,
in fact, Atwood was a mentor to Alderman. Fans are patiently waiting for the series,
which will premiere on Amazon Prime in 2023.
Westworld star Tessa Thompson is moving into the production game. She opened her
own development company and already has several book-to-TV adaptations
in the works, including . According to Deadline, Thompson and Game of Thrones
author George R. R. Martin are developing an HBO series based on Nnedi Okorafor's
Who Fears Death. Okorafor will also act as co-executive producer on the series.
Who Fears Death is a coming-of-age story about a girl born into a violent, post-apocalyptic North
Africa. With her entire culture facing mass genocide, protagonist Onyesonwu,
whose name literally translate to "who fears death," is destined to save her people.
"I didn't hold back anything when I wrote that."
The book is a heavy read, and the series is likely to be just as hard-hitting and
moving — especially considering the massive talent it has behind it.
Rick Riordan has found great success in the young adult fantasy genre,
and his Greek mythology-based Percy Jackson & the Olympians series was already turned into a
two film series with 2010's Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.
The original book series is comprised of five books, though Riordan has released a number of
other series and companion pieces set in the same universe. With such an expansive
collection of works, it makes sense that a TV series would be the way to tell the
entire story Riordan laid out with his intense worldbuilding, mythology, and complex characters.
The upcoming reimagining of Percy Jackson & the Olympians will land on Disney+,
and author Rick Riordan seems more on board with the series than he was with the previous films.
"Percy Jackson and the Olympians is really, truly, and for sure coming to your screens."
Deadline notes that both Riordan and his wife are acting as executive producers on the series and,
in an interview with The Guardian, the author said he felt he owed it to his fans to give
them a new on-screen version of the beloved series. Riordan told The Guardian that he feels
optimistic that Disney can do a much better job than the films did in bringing his work
to life — something fans should be excited to hear the famously honest author express.
The Percy Jackson series isn't the only fantasy based on Greek
mythology to achieve recent popularity. Madeline Miller's Circe has also been met
with high enough acclaim to merit an adaptation.
The book is a retelling of various Greek myths that contain elements of the classic tale, The
Odyssey. It reads like a legendary epic centered on a female protagonist. The
novel centers on the minor Greek goddess and enchantress Circe as she deals with
the moral ramifications of creating a monster responsible for many deaths.
"She's also the first witch in Western literature, which is itself a very interesting thing."
The stand-alone novel topped The New York Times bestseller list,
won the 2019 Indie Choice audiobook of the year award, and has appeared on many best-of lists.
According to a 2020 announcement from Deadline, Circe is getting the TV series treatment with
an eight-episode series order from HBO Max. Writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver,
who have previously collaborated on high-profile projects such as Jurassic World and Rise of the
Planet of the Apes, are again teaming up to write and produce the scripts for the
adaptation. Originally announced back in 2019, there is no set release date yet for Circe,
but we could potentially see the series hit HBO in 2023.
Another fantasy novel that saw a competitive bidding war for the on-screen adaptation rights
is Rebecca Roanhorse's Black Sun, which is set to premiere on AMC in the near future.
The Hollywood Reporter announced that Angela Kang will head up the project as executive
producer. Kang worked on the iconic AMC series The Walking Dead for over a decade, and was promoted
to showrunner during Season 9. Roanhorse will also have a heavy hand in the TV adaptation, as
she has also been named as an executive producer. The American writer has authored multiple sci-fi
and fantasy novels, and she has also contributed writing to Marvel's Phoenix Song: Echo comics.
Black Sun is the first novel in the Between Earth and Sky series.
It takes place in a world where celestial events are a source of magic and power.
The story centers on four main characters whose paths and missions converge to
dramatic and sometimes violent effects. With roots in both history and politics,
Black Sun manages to be a fun read with an impactful message. This alone makes
Angela Kang a great choice to head the project, as she has successfully helped
create this sort of atmosphere in The Walking Dead across multiple seasons.
Neil Gaiman is one of the top names in the fantasy genre, and a number of his novels
have already been turned into either films or TV series. Lucifer is a popular Netflix
series with the lead character based on one of Gaiman's characters from The Sandman comics.
Sandman recently received its own adaptation on the same streaming platform. Coraline,
Good Omens, and American Gods are all popular adaptations of Gaiman's novels as well.
"I believe."
"What do you believe, Shadow?"
"Everything."
In 2021, Variety announced a limited series order of six
episodes for Gaiman's Anansi Boys to be produced by Amazon Studios.
Set in the same universe as American Gods, Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys centers around
the twin sons of Mr. Nancy. However, Mr. Nancy turns out to be Anansi,
a deity first introduced in American Gods. When Mr. Nancy dies, his son Charlie discovers his
father's true identity as a trickster God and that he has a twin brother with whom he soon reunites.
Unlike a lot of the platform's other ongoing fantasy adaptations,
Amazon is moving quickly on Anansi Boys. Variety's announcement noted that the
series is already fully cast, with Malachi Kirby playing the dual role of Mr. Nancy's
twin sons. The series seems to have already finished filming and is in post-production,
although there is currently no set date for when it will drop to Amazon Prime.
R. F. Kuang's The Poppy War is the first book in a trilogy that combines the legends and myths of
ancient China with a fantasy world full of shamanism and monsters. The novel centers
around Rin, an orphaned girl who, against all odds, passes the test for acceptance
into an elite military academy and is mentored by a mysterious master who unlocks her hidden
magical abilities. The story that follows is one of honor, civic responsibility, and sacrifice.
According to Deadline, Peter Luo's Starlight Media has optioned the rights to The Poppy War. In
addition, Starlight Media has acquired the rights to both the second and third book in the trilogy,
setting in motion plans to develop the award-winning novels into an expansive
TV series. The company has previously backed projects like the critically acclaimed film
Crazy Rich Asians. It's unclear where or when the series will be available
and if it is already in development, as further details remain under wraps.
BookTok -– a section of the social media platform TikTok that indulges in all things
literature -– has helped sell and spread the word about a number of self-published
books that may have never taken off without it. Olivie Blake's The Atlas Six is one such
book. After going viral on the video sharing platform, Deadline reports that the book became
the subject of an intense bidding battle between networks looking to buy the rights.
Amazon emerged as the victor, and fans of The Atlas Six can look forward to a
streamable series in the future. Partners Tanya Seghatchian and John Woodward will
be acting as executive producers through their company, Brightstar. The pair also
worked together on the Oscar Winning film The Power of the Dog. Segatchian also gained repute
working on the first four Harry Potter films and the Netflix series The Crown.
The Atlas Six centers around six chosen magicians whose power is immense,
even in a world full of magic and sorcerers.
They are competing against each other for a place among the most powerful
secret society in the world for magic wielders. In the cutthroat competition,
the six balance growing closer to each other against the inevitable betrayal the
competition will bring. With several other books published, including a sequel to The Atlas Six,
it's safe to assume this TV series won't be the last time Blake's name makes headlines.