Hulu's TV adaptation of A Court of Thorns and Roses is temporarily dead, with former showrunner Ronald D. Moore sharing why the planned series never happened.
Fantasy adaptations are as hot as ever right now, even after Prime Video canceled The Wheel of Time. It’s no wonder Hulu was eyeing a take on A Court of Thorns and Roses, one of the most popular fantasy sagas of the moment. Readers adore the books by Sarah J. Maas, which follow 19-year-old Feyre Archeron after she is brought into the faerie lands of Prythian. Feyre has to navigate both romance and survive the politics of the various faerie clans.
With five books in the saga and a sixth on its way, the series has a huge built-in fanbase that would lend itself well to a TV series. Hulu agreed, as in March 2021, they ordered a series with Moore attached, who is no stranger to fantasy adaptations, having developed Outlander.
That got a buzz from fans of the novel, even as the development of it seemed to drag on. However, in February of 2025, it was announced Hulu was officially trashing the project, with other networks given a chance to pick it up once the rights by Hulu expired.
Ronald D. Moore explains ACOTAR TV cancellation
Now, fans are getting word from Moore himself on why this adaptation of the hit books never came to be.
Speaking to TV Insider at the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con, Moore confirmed that even if an ACOTAR adaptation happens, he won’t be involved. He explained that the huge stumbling block was a classic case of development hell at Disney.
“It wasn’t really my decision," Moore recalled. "I mean, I was at Disney. I was in development. It was a chaotic period. The thing about it was [going] from COVID to the strikes to a lot of shakeup in terms of Bob Iger leaves, Bob Iger comes back, and as a result, that piece of development just never got traction, and eventually I left, and the last I heard it was still in development, so I don’t know what happened to it.”
It’s hardly the first time a promising fantasy or sci-fi project ended up being derailed in the planning stages. Disney did undergo a lot of changes, with Moore pointing out that between the pandemic, the leadership overturns, and the 2023 Hollywood strikes, many projects were delayed indefinitely or outright canceled.
Other problems were likely the classic issues of budgeting and how to properly adapt the books to appeal to both hardcore fans and newcomers.
Thankfully, with Hulu’s rights over the property ending, there’s a chance another streamer takes a shot at it. Prime Video and Netflix are the first streamers that come to our mind, as the huge popularity of the ACOTAR saga would mean a show based on the books could be a big hit.
As for his own involvement and if he’d adapt ACOTAR in the future, Moore stated, “No, probably not. I spent a lot of time working on it, and then it didn’t happen, so okay, I just move on.”
Moore is keeping himself busy with Outlander, its upcoming spinoff Blood of My Blood, and Star City, a prequel to the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind. As of now, there’s no word on whether ACOTAR can make it to television, yet fans of the novels are naturally hopeful this beloved story can find its way to live-action sooner rather than later.
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