A Court of Thorns and Roses TV show news was initially positive, but now it seems as if the adaptation has hit some serious road blocks. The first book was a huge hit, and has since picked up even more steam on TikTok, with the BookTok community making ACOTAR and its sequels one of the biggest series in the genre. There are four more books in the ACOTAR series, with the original trilogy followed up by a novella, and then A Court Of Silver Flames, which shifts focus away from the original main characters.

A Court of Thorns and Roses follows a 19-year-old named Feyre who ends up in the land of Prythian, the Fae realm, after killing a wolf. Her romance is the heart of the story, however, and it is set against a backdrop of a magical land held in thrall by an evil villain. ACOTAR's popularity led to Hulu picking up the series with hopes of making it a successful show, but the pre-production process has been awash in various problems ever since the streamer optioned the book. Years after the initial announcement, things haven't been looking good for ACOTAR.

A Court Of Thorns And Roses Recent News

Development On ACOTAR Is Canceled For Now

Coming more than a year after it was revealed that development had been paused on the project, the latest news confirms that the adaptation of A Court of Thorns and Roses has been canceled. 20th Century Television originally optioned the book series and envisioned it as a Hulu original program, but that has now been totally nixed and 20th Century will let their option lapse in summer 2025. However, it has also been reported that author Sarah J. Maas has plans to shop the book series to other suitors once the option runs out.

20th Century Television hasn't given a reason for canceling the project.

Hulu's A Court Of Thorns And Roses Show Is Canceled

20th Century Television Won't Adapt The Book Series

Moore hasn't stated his reasoning, but it could be the setback that finally derails ACOTAR for good.

It was Sarah J. Maas herself who revealed the exciting A Court Of Thorns And Roses news that her book was coming to Hulu as a series from 20th Century Television. Not only did she announce the live-action ACOTAR show, but Maas revealed that she would work as one of the co-creators of the series, alongside TV maven Ronald D. Moore. Despite that exciting development, the project immediately ground to a halt.

In February 2024, it was announced that ACOTAR was no longer in active development at Hulu. After that, 20th Century Television had plans to shop it around to other potential homes, but it seems as if those plans stalled too. Another setback hit the show in July 2024 when showrunner Ronald D. Moore stepped away from the project. Moore never stated his reasoning, but that could have been the setback that finally derailed ACOTAR for good. Now, 20th Century will relinquish their option (in summer 2025), but Maas has announced plans to shop it around to a new home.

A Court Of Thorns And Roses Cast Details

No Cast Were Ever Announced

Throughout the entire period that ACOTAR was developing, no cast signed on. However, one person put themselves out there as a potential option, with Stargirl actor Brec Bassinger pitching herself. She said in July 2023 that she was obsessed with the ACOTAR series and that she had already reached out. "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 explained (via TV Line). Since 20th Century's tenure with ACOTAR is over, Bassinger's hopes are likely dashed for now.

A Court Of Thorns And Roses Story Details

The Books Are A Roap For The Show

The A Court Of Thorns And Roses story has been described as a take on Beauty and the Beast, with Feyre imprisoned in a magical castle with a terrifying beast in order to save her family, but the series as a whole is much more than that. Craig Erwich, President of Hulu Originals & ABC Entertainment, talked about the series at the 2023 Television Critics Association press tour (via Town and Country Mag).

"The books are a great roap for what I think will be a very successful series. I haven't read the material yet, although I'm very aware of a lot of the conversations going on with the show... Ron is truly one of the visionaries of that genre."

The first book follows Feyre as she learns about the magical land, and the terrifying forces that are destroying the Fae kingdoms, and the further novels see her and her found family embroiled in bigger wars and battles to keep their kingdom peaceful and safe. The books include many main characters, including Feyre's human family, and her Fae found family, and later books shift focus from Feyre onto these characters.

It's not clear how much of the series was going to be directly adapted - the ACOTAR series was originally conceived as a trilogy, and then expanded with further books, and is currently incomplete. It's possible that the plans were to adapt the first three books, as they could work as a standalone trilogy, but it's equally possible that the intention was to adapt the entire Maas universe. With A Court of Thorns and Roses' cancelation, it may never be clear what was going to make it onscreen.