Sarah J Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses: Is the Adaptation Still Coming?

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On February 12th, 2024, the long-awaited adaptation of A Court of Thorns and Roses was on the verge of being canceled for good. According to Keisha Hatchett at TVLine, Hulu had decided to scrap the project entirely.

Not all hope is lost, though. Despite confusing reports, the series seems to be in development, just not in active development. This could be code for shopping the series out to other outlets, which TVLine sources initially claimed Hulu wouldn’t attempt.

The Current State

Sarah J Maas ’ fantastic tale, A Court of Thorns and Roses, is enjoying second place on the Amazon bestsellers list. As of February 12th, the series has enjoyed 55 weeks on the same. Considering its continued popularity among romance and fantasy lovers, it’s unsurprising that it was all set to get an adaptation.

About three years ago, in March 2021, Hulu announced an upcoming TV adaptation of the fantasy series. The first update about the TV adaptation of A Court of Thorns and Roses ( ACOTAR ) came a month after the release of the fifth book — A Court of Silver Flames. It’s been a while, and there haven’t been many updates, but it initially seemed there was still hope for its release.

Ronald D Moore — with projects like Outlander, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Trek under his belt — was the one developing this project. In November, he assured TVLine and their readers that, while the series may be late and updates scarce, it is still coming.

“It’s still in development. We’ve written some scripts, and we’re just sort of waiting … But it’s still in development,” Moore explained during a press junket for the latest season of his other show, AppleTV’s For All Mankind.

Despite his reassurances, the adaptation’s future currently seems murky at best. We know that both Moore and Maas were supposed to work together to develop this project. But if it does make its way to another platform entirely, who knows how things will turn out?

Besides this, no one knew much about the show, be it about casting choices or probable release dates. Actress Brec Bassinger, of Stargirl fame, had shared her excitement over the project’s development and how she would love to be a part of it. There is a fair chance she may join the cast, but currently, it is all assumptions.

Oddly, this is not the first time an adaptation of ACOTAR has been in the works. In 2018, author Sarah J. Maas herself shared updates about a movie adaptation by Tempo Productions. “So, this just landed on my desk (!!!!!!),” she wrote in an Instagram post.

“There’s still a long way to go before we see this on the big screen! Constantin and Tempo are the team behind the scenes, and they are working so hard and so passionately to adapt these books and assemble the right group of people to bring it to life. We’re still looking for a director with the perfect vision for this movie, as well as a stellar cast, but I’m already super excited that they brought on the awesome Rachel Hirons to write the screenplay,” she added.

Considering how the first project kept on getting delayed before fading slowly into oblivion, it was reassuring to have Moore declare that the current adaptation is still in development. The Writer’s Guild and Actors’ strikes — and various other factors — seemed to have just severely delayed the work, that’s all. But now, there’s a chance that this project may share the same fate as its predecessor.

The Story of ACOTAR

The first book of the ACOTAR series came out in May 2015. The target audience of the book is lovers of young adult fantasy series. It wasn’t long before the popularity of the books spread far beyond the target audience and enamored readers across ages and locations.

The first book of the series focuses on the experiences of young Feyre. 19-year-old Feyre is a hunter struggling to survive in the harsh winters of the land. Poverty has left her hungry and hopeless when she finally ventures into the deeper, darker parts of the woods nearby to look for prey. It is where she encounters a wolf that does not look like a mortal being, and the wolf is after a doe — one that could keep Feyre’s family fed for weeks.

Hatred for fae beings and unbearable hunger pangs drive her to shoot her arrow at the beast. But her actions have consequences far beyond her imagination, and a great glowing being pays her a visit the next day. He gives her a choice — to die in his hands at that moment or follow him to the faerie realms and live. Feyre chooses to live.

Thus begins her life under and with her captor — Tamlin — the ruler of the Spring Court. Despite how they met, both Feyre and Tamlin find themselves drawn to the other. But the magical faerie realm hides dark secrets, and blight is afflicting the land. Feyre and Tamlin must join forces to protect the court and the realm from the dark forces of the Night Court. However, Rhysand — the ruler of the Night Court — has alluring charms of his own. Despite herself, Feyre finds herself drawn to the mystery surrounding him.

This article was produced by Media Decision and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.