Sarah J. Maas is finally opening up about why the planned TV adaptation of her bestselling romantasy saga, A Court of Thorns and Roses, fell through.
With fantasy TV shows rising in popularity in recent years, you'd think Hulu would do anything to keep its ACOTAR adaptation in development. The books have all the ingredients for a successful series, and it was announced in 2021 that Hulu would be making it, with Outlander’s Ron Moore attached. However, in July of 2024, Moore revealed he was not going to be part of the adaptation, and it was effectively dead.
Speaking to Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast this week, Maas finally explained what happened: a combination of focusing on the books and wanting more control over the show.Â
"I look at any TV movie adaptation as kind of another facet of the worlds that I've created," Maas shared. "And it's something that I want to be in charge of, I want to be figuring out, I want to be learning everything that I can. I'm a type A control freak a little bit, but I want to know everything about how it gets made, not because of that control, but just because I love movies. I love TV. I want to be a part of that, and I want to see everything adapted the way I envision it and the way I know fans want it."
For those who don’t know, ACOTAR is the tale of 19-year-old Feyre Archeron, a huntress who kills a creature in the woods and, as punishment, is brought into the mystical world of Prythian. The books focus on Feyre’s adventures across the world and the various faerie clans while including some fun romance amid the action.
In the new interview, Maas hinted that she was concerned about the work being compromised by network interference and a potential attempt to make it more like a typical fantasy show than what she wanted.Â
"I don't ever want to hear like, 'Oh, we need to change this to appeal to XYZ’s demographic.' I'm like, 'No, that's not how you make art. That's not how I create my stories,'" Maas stated. "So when I do it, it's gonna be me, and I will dedicate everything that I have to making it right. But I'll be in there, looking at all the design. But also like, 'What does it sound like?' Because music plays such a big part. The music is gonna have to be a huge project."
This, of course, leads to questions of what can happen with the property in the future.
What’s next for ACOTAR?
Maas is staying very busy, not just with ACOTAR, but also her successful Crescent City and Throne of Glass series, both of which would also make great TV shows. Wanting to keep control over her property is natural, as many creators have regretted letting Hollywood warp their work. Maas openly addressed how vital it is to keep her identity, not just for herself but also for her fans.
“I view it as my legacy in a way where I'm like, I put my books out into the world," Maas said. "That's one way that the fans are interacting and seeing these characters, but the physical version of that needs to be aligned. It can't just be someone's take on that. I'm like, 'No.'"
Given reactions we’ve seen over the years from fans when TV shows make major changes to the source material, ACOTAR readers are probably happy to hear—and fully understand—Maas’s stance.
In the same interview, Maas confirmed that she has the rights to the book series back. She’s also focusing on the releases of the fifth and sixth ACOTAR books, currently slated for Oct. 27, 2026, and Jan. 12, 2027, respectively.Â
It’s too bad we've lost an adaptation of this fantastic work for now, but it's only a matter of time before we get news of a new TV project in the works, especially as Maas seems intent on continuing the ACOTAR world for the foreseeable future.