For better or worse, Game of Thrones has come to an end. The dust has settled, the smoke has cleared, and dozens of satisfied, angry, and/or outraged articles have been written. So, what now? Well, HBO is planning a prequel series, but if you’re all GoT’d out, here are a few upcoming fantasy TV series that might help fill the void.
Warning: If you’re hoping for adaptations of a lot of the new and exciting fantasy currently making its way to the bookshelves, I’m afraid you’re going to be mostly disappointed. Let’s start with the most boring of the upcoming fare…
The Lord of the Rings (Amazon Prime)
WHY?? For the love of Gandalf the White and Galadriel’s bitchin’ wig, how could we possibly need yet another foray into Middle Earth?! I mean, there are the original books. There are graphic novel adaptations. There are animated adaptations. Peter Jackson adapted the original trilogy, then he came back for seconds, turning the fairly short prequel, The Hobbit, into three movies (approximate runtime of all six films: 700 hours). Then, this year, we got Tolkien, a film examining the life of the author himself.
Jeff Bezos shelled out $250 million dollars so that he could bring more of the LOTR prequel events to the screen. Okay, look, I appreciate Tolkien’s contributions to fantasy as much as the next nerd, but enough is enough! Move along, people. I can’t possibly imagine there’s anything more to see here.
Will I watch it? Hard pass.
The Wheel of Time (Amazon Prime)
You’re killing me, Bezos.
A few years back, I heard the lovely Kevin Hearne discuss the state of epic fantasy. He described most of it as “groups of white guys out camping in the woods.” I’m looking at you, LOTR. Now, while publishing had made an effort to diversify their offerings (it’s a slow effort, but publishing is a slow business), TV producers are more than happy to spend their time out camping in the woods with a bunch of dudes.
To be fair, the summaries of WoT do focus on Moiraine, a member of an all-female group of magicky types who are searching out young people who could be the Dragon Reborn. Of course, she also travels around with a big, burly guy and the first three potential Dragon Reborns are young farm boys. Sound familiar? Yeah, it’s a pretty standard (boring, overdone, etc.) fantasy trope.
Will I watch it? Outlook not so good.
The Kingkiller Chronicles (Showtime)
Let the sausage fest continue!
Confession: I’m one of the three people who did not love this book. (I say that with a heavy heart as the author, Patrick Rothfuss, seems like a lovely man.) But Kvothe is a total Gary Stu, and his love interest is a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, fantasy edition. In the first book, a poor young boy discovers a talent for music and magic, rising to great heights and blah, blah, blah.
Ah, but this series is going to have musical numbers! That’s right. Lin-Manuel Miranda is an executive producer of the show. And if the giant books and the TV show aren’t enough, Lionsgate is also planning on a film directed by Sam Raimi AND a video game. So, yeah. If you’re a fan, you’re about to get all of the Kingkilling you can handle.
Will I watch? No, thank you.
Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia
The Witcher (Netflix)
This is actually an adaptation of a video game that was an adaptation of a book by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. In it, Geralt of Rivia (played by Henry Cavill, aka Superman) is the last of his kind, a lone witcher hated by those around his even as he fights back against the darkness. So, instead of a group of guys out camping in the woods, it’s just one dude. That’s better, I guess. At least it’s not another series that’s been adapted to death. Speaking of which…
Will I watch? I never got into the games, but I might take a look-see at the TV series.
The Chronicles of Narnia (Netflix)
*headdesk*
Yes, C.S. Lewis was awesome and whatever, but there are more than three fantasy series in the world, people. Go to a library! Expand your horizons!
Will I watch? Probably not.
Dafne Keen as Lyra Belacqua
His Dark Materials (BBC One/HBO)
Ruth Wilson! James McAvoy! Need I say more? Yeah, probably.
The first book in this series — called The Golden Compass or Northern Lights, depending on which side of the pond you acquired it — was adapted into a movie back in 2007. However, the movie was poorly received and, as a result, the rest of the series was left to languish on the page.
It’s a new day, though. The BBC is ready to take their run at Philip Pullman’s brilliant trilogy, and I’m ready to eat it up with a spoon. (The BBC seems to be of the same mind since they’ve already ordered a second season.) Plus, the incredible Ruth Wilson (Luther, The Affair, Jane Eyre) and the dreamy James McAvoy (who played Mr. Tumnus in the 2005 adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) are set to play Lady Coulter and Lord Asriel, respectively.
(Lin-Manuel Miranda is in it, too, because I believe it is now illegal to make any film or TV show without him attached to it on some level.)
How is HBO involved? Mainly with international distribution, thank goodness. This is a YA series and no one needs to see Lady Coulter’s breasts.
Will I watch it? Hell to the yes!
Katherine Langford as Nimue
Cursed (Netflix)
Have you been champing at the bit for a new King Arthur retelling? Yeah, me neither, but we’re getting one whether we want it or not.
This adaptation is based on Frank Miller and Thomas Wheeler’s take on the Arthur mythology. On the positive side, the protagonist is Nimue, aka the Lady of the Lake, aka the sorceress who gives King Artie Excalibur. On the negative side, Nimue appears to be the Token Female character amid Arthur, Merlin, and all his knights. Also, it’s based on Arthurian mythology. More. Again.
Will I watch it? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Although, Nimue does kind of look like a badass in the image above…
Shadow and Bone (Netflix)
Finally! A fresh series by a female author with a complex female lead! Shadow and Bone is the title of the first book in Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha Trilogy (which is also related to her Six of Crows Duology). Okay, so it’s about a poor young girl who must rise to prominence and save her people (in other words, there are tropes aplenty), but as I mentioned above, it’s the first adaptation on this list where the source material: 1) hasn’t been adapted before, and 2) was written by a female author.
These are low bars, I know, but don’t let it put you off this potentially awesome series. Bardugo is an amazing writer, and she’s proven herself quite adept at creating worlds and characters with great depth, as well as some breathtaking action scenes. If Netflix doesn’t deviate too far from the page, then we could have a cracking new series to enjoy!
Will I watch it? Of course!
Magic: The Gathering (Netflix)
This animated series — helmed by Joe and Anthony Russo, directors of Avengers: Endgame — is still in the production stage, but once Netflix announces a project, it’s usually about to or already hit the ground running. Apparently, MTG will be based on the general mythology of the game, but it will feature a whole new storyline, one that expands on the stories of the Planeswalkers. (Planeswalkers are beings with the ability to travel through all the MTG multiverses.)
Will I watch it? Maybe. I’m not overly fond of animated shows, and I’ve never really played the game, but seeing as this is at the more unique end of the adaptation spectrum, I might just give it a go.
This obviously isn’t an exhaustive list. Hulu is tackling Wild Cards, an on-going collection of stories edited by George R.R. Martin. (Of course, he’s still under contract with HBO, so he won’t have any say over this adaptation, which could be a positive or a negative given your feelings about GoT.) NOS4A2, a horror series based on the book by Joe Hill, recently premiered on AMC. (I loved the book, but I’ve yet to form a solid opinion on the show.) N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy was optioned by TNT in 2017, but there hasn’t been much word of it since. Given TNT’s track record, I’m hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. I’m planning on giving Good Omens (Amazon Prime) a watch sometime soon.
Point is, I’m DONE with the repeat adaptations. I would kill to see Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness series brought to life. Same goes for the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix or Uprooted by Naomi Novik. Pick any of Mercedes Lackey or Sharon Shinn series, and I’m there, not to mention Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series. Or, while we’re waiting for the Broken Earth, why not dig into the rest of Jemisin’s oeuvre?
Which fantasy books or series would you bring to the small screen if you were on a Bezos budget?
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