The exciting and extraordinary worlds depicted in the fantasy book genre usually lend themselves nicely to the small screen, which is why we’re so excited about several upcoming TV adaptations. Let’s be honest, sometimes the real world can be a little too, well, real. That’s why it can be so appealing to walk through the magical wardrobe in The Chronicles of Narnia, pretend you’re a student learning magic (and Quidditch) at Hogwarts, and go on a quest with Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings.
2025 had some stand-out fantasy releases, including Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 and The Witcher Season 4. It was great to forget about grocery shopping, making that dentist appointment, and plans to clean (you know, reality) and spend more time with these charming, beloved characters in their unique settings. Along with wondering when they’ll finally get to read The Winds of Winter (soon? please?), fans of distant lands, powerful villains, and the classic fight between good and evil can look forward to some compelling fantasy TV shows. So, let’s get ready to leave our problems behind and visit some new worlds… although we still have to go to the dentist.
‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3
Perhaps before the infamous Game of Thrones finale aired, we would have imagined that a prequel series would take the top spot as the most intriguing upcoming fantasy show. However, since Game of Thrones Season 8 wasn’t fantastic, either, the franchise has soured a bit in some fans’ minds. That being said, while House of the Dragon, which is adapted from George R.R. Martin’s 2018 book Fire & Blood, isn’t necessarily the most awe-inspiring show from the genre, Season 3 is still top of mind for many.
The new season is expected to come out in the summer of 2026, which is the perfect time to get swept up in the dramatic story of House Targaryen. Some new faces, such as James Norton, who is playing Ormund Hightower, a relative of Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Otto (Rhys Ifans), will join the talented cast members Emma D’Arcy, Milly Alcock, and Matt Smith. Unfortunately (or fortunately, if you were underwhelmed by the prequel), House of the Dragon is ending before Season 4, which makes the stakes high for the third season.
‘Harry Potter’
It’s impossible to talk about fantasy books without touching on Harry Potter, the nostalgia-inducing series published from 1997 to 2007 about wizards, witches, muggles, and that terrifying Lord Voldemort. When HBO announced it was making a Harry Potter TV series, everyone had a few burning questions. How would the TV show be different from the books? Who would play Harry and his charming friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger? Is it possible that Hogwarts could actually be real? (Okay, maybe not that last one.)
In October 2024, Channing Dungey, the CEO and chairman of Warner Bros., told Variety that the series will “explore” J.K. Rowling’s book series “in a little bit more in-depth that you can in just a two-hour film.” So, after hearing that, we can relax a bit and look forward to seeing a new version of the story we likely all know by heart. Fans are still waiting to hear who will portray other important Harry Potter characters, like Sirius Black and Lord Voldemort. With an expected 2027 release date, it’s going to be a while before we go back to Hogwarts, pick what House we want to be sorted into, and see new versions of these beloved characters.
‘The Dark Tower’
Do you love Stephen King (of course) and Mike Flanagan (same)? Flanagan’s Netflix horror series, like The Haunting of Hill House,have huge fanbases, and now he’s moving on to the world of fantasy. Flanagan updated fans recently on his Amazon Prime Video adaptation of Stephen King’s epic book series, The Dark Tower, and shared that the scripts are finished, which is great news.
Although Harry Potter fans can’t wait to see how the story translates to television, it’s fairly easy to imagine how it’s going to go. Can the same thing be said of The Dark Tower, which has eight novels (and a children’s book and novella, too)? Can that much story fit into one season of television? The answer is definitely no, which leads to questions about how many seasons the show will have and how Flanagan plans to split it up. While any King movie or TV adaptation is thrilling, The Dark Tower is a special story about “gunslinger” Roland Deschain, who goes on a mission to locate the Dark Tower. It’s hard to be patient, but let’s take a deep breath and agree that the more time Flanagan takes, the better the outcome will be.
‘Outlander’ Season 8
Starz
The final season of a popular TV series is always big news, but does that mean that Outlander Season 8, which premieres on Starz on March 6th, 2026, is more promising than a new season of House of the Dragon? Yes. Why? Because it has not only romance but also time travel, and that’s a hard mix to pull off.
Outlander, which is adapted from the popular book series by Diana Gabaldon, tells the heartfelt story of Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan). While fans didn’t love the prequel Outlander: Blood of My Blood, it looks like Season 8 of the original series will be as compelling and moving as previous seasons. The Outlander Season 8 teaser shares that Jamie and Claire are in Fraser’s Ridge, but since they can never be happy for long, danger is on its way. With only 10 episodes left, it’ll be fascinating to see how the historical fantasy series wraps up. And did we mention there is time travel? There’s no way that the final season will be boring.
‘Ninth House’
Can a fictional version of Yale University compete with Hogwarts? Although the TV adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s popular adult novel Ninth House, which was published in October 2019, doesn’t have a release date at the time of this writing (or any major details), the answer is still an enthusiastic yes.
There’s magic, an academic setting, and a strong, smart main character. Bardugo, who is known for her young adult novels such as Shadow and Bone (which was turned into a two-season Netflix series), wrote a fascinating story about Alex Stern, a Yale student who joins the secret society Lethe. As reported by Deadline, Amazon Studios bought the rights to the book in 2019. While Bardugo told Collider in 2023 that there was a pilot, we’re sadly still waiting for more news. Since Bardugo’s sequel, Hell Bent, was published in 2023, it’s possible to imagine the Ninth House TV series lasting for several seasons. After all, secret societies might be even more fun than dining in the Hogwarts Great Hall.
‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’
Sure, some might say that the Game of Thrones prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is the coolest and most compelling upcoming fantasy show that is adapted from a book. Anyone who read George R.R Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas that it’s based on (The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight) can agree that this series won’t be dull.
Still, while it’s doesn’t quite take the number one spot, it’s still a show that is going to get people talking. The six-episode first season will drop on HBO on Jan. 18, 2026. The story takes place one century prior to Game of Thrones, and promises just as much excitement as GoT and House of the Dragon. The two main characters are Prince Aegon Targaryen (Dexter Sol Ansell), who is also known as Egg, and Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey). Given the passionate fanbase for Martin’s fantasy stories and the many opinions about how House of the Dragon compares to the original series, viewers will no doubt have a lot to say after A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms comes out later in January.
‘Fourth Wing’
Did you watch Game of Thrones and want more dragons? Did you watch House of the Dragon and want more dragons? You’re in luck, because the most thrilling TV series based on a book isn’t Season 3 of the GoT sequel, or the prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. It’s Fourth Wing, the upcoming series based on the novel by Rebecca Yarros, which was published in April 2023.
Since Yarros’s gripping tale swept readers off their feet and drove them to passionately share their thoughts on BookTok, it was only a matter of time before the bestselling novel would be adapted for film or TV. In October 2023, Variety reported that Amazon MGM Studios was making a Fourth Wing TV show. Since Meredith Averill, who co-created the supernatural Netflix series Locke & Key, which was an adaptation of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez’s comic book series, is the showrunner, it’s in good hands. Sure, the plot could lend itself to a big-budget movie. However, the medium of TV will hopefully allow for a strong character arc featuring Violet Sorrengail, who is training to be a dragon rider at Basgiath War College. Move over, Game of Thrones, this is the epic dragon tale to get excited about.
Is there an upcoming TV show based on a fantasy book that you’re most excited to see? When do you think The Dark Tower will come out? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Source: Variety.com, Deadline.com
Source link
Add Comment