There are so many fantasy books with adaptations in development, but some of the biggest may be coming sooner than expected.
The foreseeable future is already packed with several notable fantasy book adaptations. HBO is giving us a new Harry Potter series while Greta Gerwig is reviving The Chronicles of Narnia for Netflix next year and Paramount is doing a Children of Blood and Bone movie. We’re also getting The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping this November. Some projects have seemingly been stuck in “development hell” for some time, even years, but others sound like they’re moving forward and could be reaching theaters or TV screens soon.
Here’s a quick rundown of 10 of the biggest fantasy adaptations in deep development.
- Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest
- Forgotten Realms
- Eragon
- The Dark Tower
- Fourth Wing
- The Cosmere Saga
- Alchemised
- Powerless
- Dragon Cursed
- Shield of Sparrows
House of the Dragon | Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO
Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest
While it’s not a major series like some fans wished for, there’s no denying the first-ever Game of Thrones movie is going to count for this list. The movie will tell one of the greatest chapters in Westeros history: How Aegon Targaryen united the Seven Kingdoms, forged the Iron Throne, and began a dynasty that would shape the entire kingdom.
The movie will use the first chapters of Fire & Blood as a starting point. The focus will be on how Aegon began this brutal war and the rebellions against him, along with the famous inner politics of the various forces. Condensing a GoT story to the big screen may be a challenge, but this movie looks set to be the grand expansion of the saga fans have dreamed of.
Dungeons & Dragons. Image Courtesy Wizards of the Coast LLC
Forgotten Realms
It’s frankly astounding we haven’t gotten a TV show based on the biggest role-playing game of all time. It seems it’s happening and no shock that it’s from D&D fan Shawn Levy. The Stranger Things producer and Deadpool & Wolverine director is overseeing this Netflix take on Dungeons & Dragons, with Drew Crevello handling the writing.
Levy has hinted that this will be an original tale set in the world of the games/novels, but might feature some popular characters (fans are hopeful the Dark Elf Drizzt Do’Urden will make an appearance). With an endless world of action, characters, monsters and locations, the possibilities are plentiful, and letting fans get the live-action D&D adventure they’ve begged for for decades.
Christopher Paolini | Eragon | Images: Lo Hunter | Knopf Books for Young Readers
Eragon
20 years after the first attempt to film Christopher Paolini‘s Inheritance Cycle crashed and burned, Eragon is getting a second chance. Disney+ is crafting a live-action series that looks to adapt Paolini’s hit YA series about a youth who becomes a Dragonrider to face an evil ruler. Disney already proved they could revive a fallen franchise with Percy Jackson and the Olympians, so there’s serious promise in this coming to fruition.
Paolini has given some promising updates, citing how the series has strong showrunners in Todd Harthan, Todd Helbing, and Marc Webb. He’s deeply involved as well, crafting the scripts to adapt his work. There’s still casting and such, but of all the properties on this list, Eragon seems the closest to becoming reality and doing justice to this beloved work.
The Gunslinger by Stephen King (The Dark Tower #1). | Image: Scribner.
The Dark Tower
Even by Stephen King’s standards, his mind-boggling, time-traveling Western dystopian epic is a hard saga to read, let alone adapt. For proof, see the disastrous 2017 movie and a failed attempt by Amazon in 2020. If anyone can take on this challenge, it’s Mike Flanagan. The longtime King fan has proven himself to be fantastic at adapting King’s works and has reportedly already written a full season for a Dark Tower TV show.
King himself has given Flanagan’s work the stamp of approval, and it sounds like the only thing stalling it is the man’s very busy schedule. Yet it’s still in the works and moving ahead, so hopefully Flanagan can finally do King’s masterpiece true justice for the many fans.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros | Red Tower Books
Fourth Wing
Prime Video may have axed The Wheel of Time, but they’re still hoping to continue on the fantasy train. That includes a new series based on Rebecca Yarros’s Empyrean book series. The first book, Fourth Wing, follows on Violet Sorrengail, a young woman forced to attend a school for dragonriders where the people may be more dangerous than the beasts.
The series has been in development since 2023 and changed showrunners last year. Though that might seem a bit troubling, it has a big supporter in Oscar-winner Michael B. Jordan producing. That gives it more clout and, hopefully, enhances the chances of it hitting the screen. We all know how great a show about dragons can be, so hopefully this one takes flight soon.
Wind and Truth by Brandon Sanderson. Cover image: Tor Books.
The Cosmere Saga
Here’s a two-fer: not one but two different series based on Brandon Sanderson’s massive fantasy world are in development at Apple TV+. The first is Mistborn, which follows the misadventures of a pack of thieves who find themselves facing off against an evil kingdom in a combination of fantasy epic and caper film.
The second is a series based on The Stormlight Archives, with Sanderson being given full creative control over it. That’s great news with adapting these stories of knights, monsters, and magical storms. Both properties being owned by Apple promise the potential for crossovers and allowing for Sanderson’s massive fantasy world get the attention it deserves.
Alchemised by SenLinYu | Penguin Random House
Alchemised
When a novel gets a movie deal before it’s even published, that shows the potential in it. That’s the case for SenLinYu’s novel, which began as a reworked Harry Potter fanfic. It’s a darker tale of a young woman who, after years held captive following her side losing a magical war, is forced to be a slave to her former school bully.
Legendary Entertainment won a big bidding war for the movie rights and while there’s no word on a production start time, given the book is a number-one bestseller, it’s likely to be pushed fast. That’s an astounding turnaround for this work and could spark sequel talks as soon as it finally hits the screens.
Powerless by Lauren Roberts (The Powerless Trilogy #1) Image: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers | Image: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Powerless
Another Prime Video series meant to fill the hole of The Wheel of Time, Powerless is based on the novels by Lauren Roberts. It plays like a fantasy version of Hunger Games as a young thief saves the life of a cruel prince. She’s thus thrust into the Purging Trials, a brutal competition for riches for those who can survive.
The series mixes fantasy drama with action and a romance between the thief and a fellow hunter. It’s a classic setup for fans with a mix of literal class warfare, a love story and fighting against a corrupt system. It’s still in development, but it sounds like Prime Video is set to add another fine fantasy adaptation to its ranks.
Dragon Cursed by Elise Kova | Entangled: Mayhem Books
Dragon Cursed
One of the newer planned adaptations to hit this list, the pitch for Elise Kova’s Dragon Cursed is irresistible: House of the Dragon meets Hunger Games. It’s set in the last human stronghold in a world overtaken by dragons, where some humans are “cursed” to become them. A competition is held to decide the best dragon hunters, with one girl (who may be cursed herself) trying to win it.
Amazon MGM has stepped in with the development plans, which sounds like it’ll be a movie with potential sequels. There’s a lot of work to be done yet given how popular dragons are with viewers, this may get put on the fast track quickly.
Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry | Entangled: Red Tower Books
Shield of Sparrows
Once more, Amazon is moving ahead with a bestselling romantasy story with Devney Perry’s 2025 novel. The long-overshadowed princess of a kingdom is forced into marriage to secure a political treaty. Along the way, she finds a conspiracy, is drawn to a mysterious bodyguard, and, oh, yes, also has to save the world from monsters.
Derek Kolstad, the man behind the John Wick and Nobody action movie franchises, is penning the script, guaranteeing plenty of wild adventure ahead of us. With Perry’s sequel coming soon, it’s a perfect time to strike and provide fans with a film based on this new franchise. It’s just one of so many terrific fantasy adaptations we’re hoping to see come true.
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