7 Romantasy Series That Need a Live-Action Adaptation ASAP

There’s no doubt about it; one of the most popular genres in fiction right now is “romantasy”. Thanks to series like Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses and Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean novels — and with a little nudge from BookTok — the romantic fantasy book world has been exploding with interesting and complex stories. It’s a genre that has something for just about everyone with stories that feature dragons and magic and still others dealing with apocalypses and vampires and more all paired with exciting romance, intrigue, and adventure limited only by the imagination… and maybe the wait for the next book in the series.

With such a wide range of stories and with those stories being so popular, romantasy fiction is just ripe for live-action adaptation and while some series – such as Yarros’ aforementioned Empyrean series, which includes Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and the recently-released Onyx Storm – set to get a live-action television adaptation, there are plenty of other romantasy series we’d like to see come to life on the screen as well, and we’ve made a list of seven to be exact.

Red Queen

Consisting of two novels — Red Queen and Glass Sword — and the novellas Queen Song and Steel Scars, the Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard is technically supposed to be getting a television adaptation. It was announced in 2021 that Peacock is developing a series based on the Red Queen novel with Elizabeth Banks set to executive produce, direct, and also appear in a major supporting role. The Red Queen series is set in a dystopian, alternate America that’s divided into Red-blooded commoners and the Silver-blooded elite, the latter of which have supernatural gits and rule in tyranny over the Reds. However, when poor thief Mare Barrow finds herself brought to the Silver court, she discovers that she also has power, a power that destroys the narrative of the Silver that the Red are inferior. Mare finds herself unexpected the face of a revolution and at the center of a personal mystery about how she ended up with powers in the first place.

While the series is expected to get an adaptation with former Arrow writer and showrunner Beth Schwartz and Aveyard co-writing the pilot, there have been no additional updates on the series since 2021.

[RELATED: A Court of Thorns and Roses Showrunner Ronald D. Moore Exits TV Adaptation]

The Bridge Kingdom

Danielle L. Jensen’s The Bridge Kingdom series currently consists of four books (a fifth, The Twisted Throne, is set to be published in April) and is a series that readers have been hoping will get the live-action adaptation treatment sooner rather than later. The series follows Lara, a warrior princess who believes that not only is King Aren of the Bridge Kingdom her enemy but that she is going to be the one to bring him down.  Sent to the Bridge Kingdom under the guise of peace (but really as a spy), Lara finds herself starting to question things — especially as she develops feelings for King Aren. A complicated tale of intrigue and romance driven with plenty of action, The Bridge Kingdom would fit right in for fans of series like Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.

The Four Horsemen Series

Who doesn’t love a little apocalyptic action in their television series? Laura Thalassa’s four-book The Four Horsemen series is just begging for a live-action adaptation. The series takes on each of the Biblical Four Horsemen — Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death — who come to Earth to, well, end it all. The first book, Pestilence, follows Pestilence on his mission to destroy humanity, but things get complicated when he’s faced with a young firefighter, Sara, trying to stop him. Pestilence takes Sara prisoner as he continues his mission. However, as Sara tries to stop him, Pestilence finds himself starting to understand humanity while Sara’s feelings about him also begin to change. High stakes end of the world story mixed with unlikely romance and a shifting of perspective? Sign us up.

Beautiful Quartet

You can’t really have a proper list of romantasy series you want to see be adapted for live action unless you include some vampires, right? Written by Renee Ahdieh, the Beautiful Quartet — The Beautiful, The Damned, The Righteous, and The Ruined — follows dressmaker Celine. She flees 1870s Paris for New Orleans, but after joining the Ursuline convent, she soon finds herself intrigued with the underworld and its undead leader, Sebastien. However, when one of the sisters in the convent is found dead, things get complicated as Celine suspects Sebastien’s involvement — and Celine has secrets of her own. A murder mystery with vampires and a glamorous underworld? It’s just begging to be a prestige television series.

Gods and Monsters

There are currently three books in Amber V. Nicole’s Gods and Monsters series — The Wrath of the Fallen is set to be released in May — but once fans read the first book, The Book of Azrael, they were hooked. The series follows Dianna who cried out to the universe to save her dying sister, Unfortunately for Dianna, a cruel human-turned-beast named Kaden answered that cry. He spares the sister but Dianna is expected to do his bidding, which includes the search for a relic, the Book of Azrael. Captured by Liam, a king once the World Ender, Dianna finds herself having to work with Liam to save the world. With its hunt for an ancient relic, the story as a little bit of Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider vibes, but when you mix in the high stakes of saving the world and deals with, well, demons, you’ve got a story that would be incredible to watch play out on screen.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Okay, we know that the Sarah J. Maas series is technically already getting a series adaptation, but we’re putting it on this list as a reminder that we really need one because it’s been a long time since we had an update. The first book in the series — the other books are A Court of Mist and Fury, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight, and A Court of Silver Flames — A Court of Thorns and roses follows three sisters, Feyre, Nesta, and Elain Archeron who are entangled in the magical world of Prythian after Feyre murders a faerie wolf in the woods, finding herself caught up in the political workings when an ancient treaty demands a life for a life.

While it was announced back in 2021 that the series was set to be adapted for Hulu, we haven’t seen anything so far — though last February it was confirmed that the series was still in active development.

Kingdom of the Wicked

Kerri Maniscalo’s series Kingdom of the Wicked — Kingdom of the Wicked, Kingdom of the Cursed, and Kingdom of the Feared — would be an absolutely perfect fit in the fantasy television genre. The series starts with Emilia discovering the brutal murder of her twin sister. It’s an event that sends Emilia on a quest for retribution and revenge, one that will see her willing to use whatever dark magic is necessary. Of course, she ends up joined on the quest with Wrath, one of the Wicked-princes of Hell, who claims to have been tasked with solving the murders of women. Part murder mystery, part adventure, this story is high stakes and full of intrigue and we want to see it on screen.