Despite the ongoing boom of fantasy TV adaptations, the long-gestatingA Court of Thorns and RosesTV show has hit a wall. The novel series,penned by Sarah J. Maasand centering on a young woman named Feyre who journeys through the faerie world of Prythian and becomes embroiled in a variety of local conflicts while also falling in love, was first announced to be getting a TV show in 2021 when 20th Century Television acquired the rights for a Hulu show. After initially tappingBattlestar Galactica’s Ronald D. Moore to develop it alongside Maas, few updates have been shared since.
Varietyhas brought word thattheCourt of Thorns and RosesTV adaptation is now officially deadafter four years of development at 20th Century Television. This comes nearly a year after it was reported that Hulu was no longer moving forward with the show, but that there were hopes to shop the show to a new home. While it may not be continuing at 20th Century, sources do report that author Sarah J. Maas will shop the rights to the book series to other platforms after getting them back after this summer.
What This Means For A Court Of Thorns And Roses
Maas Is Starting From Scratch
Considering it’s been a year since Hulu was no longer attached to the show, it likely won’t come as much of a surprise that 20th Century isn’t still trying to maketheCourt of Thorns and RosesTV adaptation happen. Beyond the inability to find the show a new home,the studio already has half a dozen fantasy TV shows on its docket in various states of development and production, ranging from the ongoing Disney+ adaptation ofPercy Jackson and the Olympiansto the similarly long-gestatingEragonreboot.
Though four years of development being thrown away by 20th Century is a bit of a hurdle,it doesn’t necessarily mean the adaptation’s future is entirely bleak. Maas has been working ona sixthCourt of Thorns and Rosesnovelfor quite some time now, assuring as of January 2024 that it would be the next thing on her to-do list. Additionally, with the above sources reporting that she intends to keep trying to make an adaptation happen, it’s clear the show won’t die on the 20th vine.
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One of the biggest avenues of hope fans of the books can hold onto for the screen adaptation to find new lifeis the ongoing fantasy TV boom. In the wake of HBO’s success withGame of Thrones, many networks and streaming platforms have tried to match that, including HBO’s various prequels, Netflix’sThe WitcherandPrime Video’sThe Wheel of TimeandThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Given Netflix is nearing the end of its Andrzej Sapkowski-based show, now may be the time for them to consider Maas' franchise.
Our Take On A Court Of Thorns & Roses' Potential Future
As disappointing as the show’s cancellation may be in the immediate sense, there’s plenty of precedent for whyA Court of Thorns and Roseswill get its chance on the screen in the future. In addition to the ongoing fantasy boom, various other fantasy adaptations have found their way to getting off the ground after changing studios, one of the more notable recent examples beingtheChildren of Blood and Bonemovieafter it jumped from Disney to Paramount Pictures. If Maas can find a studio similarly passionate about making her works come to life like Paramount did forChildren, her franchise could thrive elsewhere.
Source:Variety
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.
