I don’t know what’s more sad, thinking you’ll get to watch your favorite fantasy series come to life only to have it snatched away before it even begins or only getting parts of the story before it’s all unfairly canceled. After many delays and lingering questions from fans, Deadline has officially confirmed that Hulu won’t be moving forward with its adaptation of Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series.
As fans of both Maas’ series and the fantasy genre in general, this news blows. But in truth, maybe it’s better than what Shadow and Bone fans experienced by getting the most perfect casting and a premature cancelation before we could even see the Six of Crows spin-off. In some ways, there’s a lot of gratitude because I’ll forever be picturing the exemplary Netflix cast in all my rereads, and we got some great content in the first two seasons. Yet, that lingering sadness that remains maybe wouldn’t have existed if we’d never gotten the adaption in the first place.
Both outcomes are far from ideal, yet with Hulu’s decision to pass on ACOTAR, there’s also the sigh of relief that the books can stay as they are, and perhaps an adaption would’ve soured some parts.
It’s not easy to cast a show pristinely these days because someone somewhere is always upset by something. And in all my years of covering adaptations, I’d never seen as many opposing viewpoints as when it came to ACOTAR. Everyone has their dream fan cast—and rightfully so—but not everyone could’ve been satisfied through the adaptation. In addition to casting, there’s also the content itself and how difficult it would’ve been to achieve the world-building without extensive special effects, which is, unfortunately, a big risk to bank on these days.
Fantasy shows often get the axe when they don’t accumulate enough viewers because the expensive productions aren’t able to move forward without the numbers. Imagine watching the series, but heavens forbid, it got canceled before we even had the chance to see Rhys and Feyra get together? I would hate that, and I’m sure countless other fans would, too. Or what about my girl Nesta and her arc? It feels impossible these days that a series can go beyond two seasons, let alone five.
In addition to possible cancellations in the future that would have hit too hard, this decision also leaves the door open for perhaps another means of adapting the story. I’d heard some people voice how it’d be great as an animated series or even five films, and with how brilliant animation is today, I’d personally never say no to that.
In short, a lot of entertainment news seems to be bleak these days, but it’s a good thing this happened before we got too attached. It’s a good thing we can still cherish the books for what they are and how they make us feel. Fan artists on social media are still putting out beautiful work, and fan fiction writers are continuing the story. And who knows, maybe we’ll see the made-up world of Prythian at another point in time.
What are your thoughts on the ACOTAR series cancelation? Let us know in the comments below.
I was throughly upset with the cancellation of Shadow and Bones. It was amazing. All the characters actors/actresses effects were wonderful. I’m happy to have solid faces with the characters when reading. I find it hard to believe ACOTAR wouldn’t get the viewers to keep it going and long as the production put their 100% selves in it. The question is who actually decides what is cancelled? I don’t think it’s really about the viewers. It’s always money…not the people