Everything We Know About the 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' TV Show Adaptation

They say good things come to those who wait, and if that’s true, A Court of Thorns and Roses fans are certainly due for some good tidings regarding the book’s television adaptation. Series enthusiasts have been waiting several long years for the small-screen version of Sarah J. Maas’ best-selling romantasy books to come to fruition, with only scraps of information about the project to sustain them in the interim. While the TV show was first announced as in development by Hulu and 20th Television in 2021, it was in limbo for some time, until the streamer ultimately officially dropped it in February 2025.

However, just like when the book's heroine Feyre faced off against the Wyrm in the cavernous pit Under the Mountain, all hope is not lost. Below, find everything we know about the fate of the A Court of Thorns and Roses TV series adaptation, from its development status to the cast and release date.

Where will the 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' adaptation be released?

A Court of Thorns and Roses was originally slated to run on Hulu with Disney’s 20th Television producing until the streaming service dropped it in February 2025.

Many speculated that the show was not moving forward long before it was announced that Hulu had dropped it, considering the original showrunner had left 20th Television. Ronald D. Moore (known for sci-fi and fantasy hits like Battlestar Galactica and Outlander) was to be the showrunner, but departed the project in July 2024 after leaving Disney for Sony, where he signed a multi-year deal. Since he was no longer with the studio, he would no longer be attached to the series—though he opened up about some of the challenges it faced during a 2024 Comic Con interview. He explained at the time, “The thing about it was [going] from COVID to the [SAG-AFTRA actors’] strikes to a lot of shakeup in terms of [Disney CEO] Bob Iger leaves, Bob Iger comes back, and as a result, that piece of development just never got traction.”

He added, “I spent a lot of time working on it, and then it didn’t happen, so okay, I just move on.”

Now that Hulu is no longer attached, Variety reported in February 2025 that Maas is interested in shopping the project around to another network. It sounds like she's currently doing so, as the most recent update we've gotten came in May 2026. At the time, Puck claimed the author is now actively looking for a new home for ACOTAR since the rights lapsed at Hulu. It's unclear which networks she's in conversation with, but fans can rest easy knowing that the series isn't totally dead.

When will the 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' TV show be released?

With no official network attached and the ACOTAR show basically back to square one, it will be a long while before it premieres. It's hard to say when; probably not for several years.

When Maas appeared on a March 2026 episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, she explained that she worked hard over the past few years to get the rights back to the adaptation. And while she was able to do so and hopes to have creative control when it's time to move into production, she emphasized that writing the source novels is her main priority right now.

"I have the rights back to everything now and getting the rights back to all my things has been a big part of my journey in recent years that maybe at some point soon I will talk more about, but right now my focus is on books and it's been a little while since you guys have had something, so I'm focusing on that," she said.

With Book 6 coming out in October 2026, Book 7 due out in January 2027, and Book 8 confirmed but still to be written, that'll definitely factor into the show's production timeline. Should Maas complete Book 8 sooner rather than later and then turn her focus to the adaptation, the soonest it might hit screens could be 2029 (or late 2028 if it is fast-tracked).

We can look to another beloved fantasy series, Fourth Wing, getting the series treatment from Prime Video as a comparison. The project was first announced in 2023 and has undergone similar behind-the-scenes changes, with casting still underway. No release date has been confirmed for Fourth Wing either—so these things take a long time.

What has Sarah J. Maas said about the 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' TV series adaptation?

Maas is heavily involved with the ACOTAR TV show. She hasn't just expressed her excitement, but also her hopes for creative control.

When the project was first announced, she shared on Instagram just how thrilled she was that Ronald D. Moore was on board and revealed she was a part of the writing process. Per TVLine, the author wrote in a now-deleted post, “​​It’s official…Ron Moore (creator of Outlander and one of my creative idols) and I will co-adapt ACOTAR as a TV show for Hulu! I’m currently hard at work writing the pilot with Ron (!!!!!).”

Maas opened up further about being "heavily involved" in a 2022 interview with The New York Times. “It just seemed like a new creative mountain for me to climb,” she said. “It’s a whole different way of telling stories, bringing them to life, and a whole different way of seeing my characters.”

She told the outlet that she was spending up to four hours a day on Zoom calls with Moore to help her story come to life.

In November 2023, amid the actors' strike, the writer gave another update. “We’ve written some scripts, and we’re just sort of waiting,” she told TVLine at the time. “I think the whole town is kind of waiting to see if we have actors before things really move forward, but it’s still in development.”

Since the change-ups, Maas has only spoken vaguely about what's to come. It's been reported that she's interested in shopping it around, and on "Call Her Daddy," she spoke a bit about her vision.

"I look at any TV movie adaptation as kind of like another facet of the worlds that I've created, and it's something that I want to be in charge of," Maas shared on the podcast. "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."

The author continued, "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,' 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, you know, looking at all the design, but also like, 'What does it sound like?' 'cause music plays such a big part, so I'm not just gonna, like, the music is gonna have to be like a huge project."

What is the plot of 'A Court of Thorns and Roses?'

How to explain the fantastical, faerie-fueled fiction that is A Court of Thorns and Roses? Essentially, it’s a story about a young woman experiencing the splendors of love (and sex—lots of sex) for the very first time when she is forced to journey far from home.

However, in this story, the young woman is a self-made warrior named Feyre who has trained herself to hunt to provide for her family—and the object of her affection is a royal faerie named Tamlin, who has taken her to his lands against her will as penance for unwittingly slaying a member of his court.

In addition to their ongoing battle of wills (which, of course, is never not fraught with sexual tension), dangers lurk around every corner for Feyre, who must learn to coexist in a world full of monsters she never knew existed.

Who has been cast in the 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' adaptation?

Casting was never officially announced when the ACOTAR series was at Hulu, and no updates have been made since then. However, that hasn’t stopped fans from sharing their best guesses as to who might play their favorite ACOTAR characters.

At the top of their list for Tamlin? Outlander’s own Sam Heughan. The actor’s character in the Starz series, Jamie Fraser, was Maas’ reported inspiration for Lucien, Tamlin’s BFF. Adding fuel to the fan theory fire is the fact that Heughan is also mentioned in the first book’s acknowledgements.

Heughan played coy when Marie Claire Australia asked if he was working on the project. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?” he teased.

The rumor mill also had a heyday with Margot Robbie. The Barbie actress was spotted having coffee with the romantasy novelist in March 2024, sparking buzz that they might be collaborating on something—like the ACTOR adaptation. The Oscar-nominated star notably helms LuckyChap Entertainment and is known for her work as a producer, so she may very well be interested in getting involved behind the scenes.

She's already said to be a major Maas fan: Robbie told Harper’s Bazaar that she’s read all of the books in the novelist’s series “like, a million times over.” When asked if there was anything she could do to help her new friend move the project along, she joked, “We all need that—the world needs that. I’ll see what I can do.”

Maas has also sung praises of the Wuthering Heights star/producer. On "Call Her Daddy," she spoke highly of their friendship and how she admires what Robbie's work has meant to young women—although she notably stayed hush-hush on whether the two are actually collaborating on something for the big or small screen.

Fans have had fun floating other names for ACOTAR parts, including Henry Cavill, Theo James, Thomas Doherty, Tyler Blackburn, and Katherine Langford, among others.

Stargirl’s Brec Bassinger threw her own hat into the ring while speaking to TVLine in 2023. “Literally, after I finished the first [book], I emailed my team, and I was like, ‘Listen, I don’t care if I have one line. I have to be a part of this,” she said. “I’m not fiery enough for Nesta. I don’t present old enough for Feyre. I feel like I’d make a good Elain, but I’ll be whoever.”

Nothing has been confirmed yet, so for now, keep the fan casts coming—and check back to this story, as we'll continue to update it when more information becomes available.