Game of Thrones and Harry Potter are the gold standard for fantasy shows and adaptations. There have been many other fantasy works adapted for both television and film that have been great successes. It is only a matter of time before another work comes out and receives similar praise and reception.
With the Game of Thrones spinoff, The Knights of the Seven Kingdoms, airing, and as an avid fan of all forms of fantasy media, it would be fun to look at a few other fantasy adaptations in the works.
What Does It Take for an Adaptation to Succeed?
Before we go over the series that are confirmed, it is important to note what it usually takes for a fantasy adaptation to succeed in the first place.
The reason the adaptations of Game of Thrones and Harry Potter were successful was that they were such a great transition from book to film. Creative Director Mike Vannelli says, “adaptations like Game of Thrones or Harry Potter as masterclasses in brand fidelity because they successfully translated the texture, lighting, and atmosphere of the source material into a distinct visual language.” Large-budget CGI is not enough to capture everyone’s attention, and while changes will always be expected, significant deviations tend to do worse.
It’s also important to note that while Harry Potter and Game of Thrones were indeed incredibly popular, that does not mean that simply copying their format will mean critical success. As Tracy Lamourie, founder of Lamourie Media Inc., states, “Fantasy isn’t really competing with other shows. It’s competing with attention itself, with audience fatigue.” For a new fantasy series to be as big as Game of Thrones or Harry Potter, it needs to do something to stand on its own merits.
Now, here are upcoming fantasy series that have a strong chance of becoming hugely successful!
The Odyssey
The adaptation that is coming along the fastest is the traditional Greek tale that follows the hero Odysseus as he travels the seas to return home, facing many obstacles along the way. Rather than a modern book, the film shall adapt the Greek epic, one of the first fantasy stories.
Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan directed the film. Universal Pictures and Nolan’s and Emma Thomas’ company Syncopy are producing a movie. The film will star big-name actors such as Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Matt Damon, and many more!
The movie will release on July 16, 2026, so it’s only a few months away. If you’re interested, you can watch the trailer for yourself! Who knows? If the film succeeds, it may lead to a future film or TV series based on The Iliad.
Eragon
While the book did get a 2006 movie adaptation, the classic YA fantasy series about a young man who became the first dragon rider of a new generation will get a new television adaptation by Disney at some point in the future. The book’s original author, Christopher Palaolini, has stated on his YouTube channel that he will be writing and producing the show.
As of now, Todd Hargan and Todd Helbing have been announced as showrunners, allowing the show to enter full production soon. Likely, casting and filming have not started yet. Eragon will release on Disney+.
Fourth Wing
The popular romantasy novel by Rebecca Yarros is about a young girl who attends a military school that teaches dragon riding (much like Eragon).
Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society and Amazon MGM Studios will produce the show. Meredith Averill, who also worked on Wednesday, is the showrunner. Not much information is available, so the project is likely still in early production. That does not mean there isn’t still hype around the project.
Red Queen
Universal Television will produce a live-action series based on this YA fantasy dystopia about a young girl harnessing magic to fight back against the rich. TV writer Beth Hanks will serve as showrunner and produce the show for Brownstone Productions.
The producers have not revealed any further information, so the status remains unclear. The show will air on Peacock.
The Dark Tower
Like with Eragon, there was originally a 2017 movie adaptation of the book, but director Mike Flanagan (responsible for other adaptations of Stephen King’s novels such as Doctor Sleep and The Life of Chuck) plans to create a television show of The Dark Tower, written by legendary author Stephen King.
Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy’s Intrepid Pictures will produce the series. It will likely be released on Amazon Prime Video. There is still no information on the release, but Flanagan has said to be positive on the script so far.
The Legend of Zelda
While it may be an outlier on this list, the critically acclaimed fantasy gaming franchise, The Legend of Zelda, has been confirmed to have a live-action film in the works.
The film is produced by Sony Pictures, with Nintendo itself working very closely with them on the project. Representative Director and the original creator of The Legend of Zelda, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Avi Avad of Arad Productions Inc will serve as the producers.
No information about the movie’s plot has been revealed, including which game it will take inspiration from. Actors Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Bo Bragson will play Link and Princess Zelda, respectively.
Not much information has been shared, but the current release date is May 7th, 2027, so we may get more details on the project later this year.
His Majesty’s Dragon
Based on Noomi Novik’s book of the same name, this historical fantasy series takes place during the Napoleonic Wars and centers on dragon riding. Unlike every other fantasy work on this list, they will adapt the series into an adult animated series.
Fox will produce the show with their animation studio, Bento Box Entertainment. No other information is available at the moment. Ben Queen will be one of the show’s writers and producers.
No new information was shared on the project. As a fan of animation, I will definitely keep an eye out for any more information.
Children of Blood and Bones
Tomi Adeyemi’s African-inspired fantasy series has been in the works for a while now. LucusFilm originally owned the film rights, but lost them with Paramount ultimately picking it up. The filming was said to have finished, with Gina Prince-Bythewood directing.
The cast includes well-known actors such as Amandla Stenberg, Damson Idris, and Thuso Mbedu. The series will air on January 15, 2027, so we’ll still have another year to wait.
The Cosmere
Very recently, Apple announced that they acquired the film rights to the entire Cosmere Universe.
For those unaware, The Cosmere is the fantasy universe in which many of the author Brandon Sanderson’s high fantasy books, including Mistborn, Stormlight Archive, Elantris, Warbreaker, and many others, take place. Rather than a single world, however, each series takes place on a different planet across an entire galaxy.
The author Brandon Sanderson has been granted a lot of creative control over the entire production of the works. Not only will he be involved in the adaptations, but he will also have full creative oversight. Fans can be excited to see the author himself so involved.
On his YouTube channel, Sanderson confirmed that it appears very likely that a Mistborn film and a Stormlight Archive TV show would be the first to appear. Sanderson himself has stated that he is currently working on the screenplay for the Mistborn film adaptation. We will also be a Showrunner for the Stormlight Archive show. It will still be a long while before we get anything concrete with a film.
If these become successful, other Cosemre stories may be adapted, and we may have ourselves an entire cinematic fantasy universe. If handled correctly, the film adaptations could create a cinematic universe rivaling even the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As a fan of the Cosmere books myself, I expect they will be well worth the wait.
Will These Reach the Heights of Game of Thrones and Harry Potter?
As with every film project, not every adaptation is guaranteed to be a success, even if it’s an adaptation of a popular series. It’s also worth noting that while many of these projects are confirmed to be in development, most are not very far along, so anything could happen. Story analyst Erica Mountain has said, “It’s really a matter of what makes the eyes turn.” At the end of the day, a product needs to make the audience want to look at it.
Only time will tell if they will be successful, but we may still hope for the best. The next big thing will come, and when it does, I’m sure we’re in for a wild ride.
