5 Fantasy Books We Desperately Need to Become Movies or TV Shows

Not every book makes a good TV show or movie, especially those in the fantasy genre. Some concepts are too complex or abstract while others just wouldn’t translate well to live action.

Yet, with the right source material, we know good fantasy adaptations can be done; Game of Thrones, The Wheel of Time, and The Witcher are all fantasy series successfully taken from page to screen. (Albeit, some were considerably more successful than others.) Yet, I am astounded by how many stellar, brain-chemistry-altering fantasy novels still haven’t been adapted to screen.

In particular, there are five fantasy books that are simply begging to be made into TV shows or movies. When I read each of these books, I can visualize the screen versions so well that it seems like a no-brainer for it to be snapped up by a production company.

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1. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic is the first in a three-book series about a young, powerful Antari magician named Kell who can travel between parallel Londons. Taking place in the 1800s, Kell hails from what is known as Red London, where elemental magic is abundant his adoptive parents reign as king and queen. He travels between White London, a dying, magic-starved world, and Grey London, a completely magicless world, as a kind of ambassador of the realms.

But Kell has a rebellious streak and it isn’t long before it gets him into trouble – the kind that threatens the safety of all three Londons. Then he meets Lila Bard, a scrappy thief living on the streets of Grey London, and they form an unlikely alliance.

This is easily one of the most fun fantasy series I’ve ever read, with magic competitions, pirates, and the perfect smattering of romantic subplots. The pacing makes it ideal for T.V. but I would take a trilogy of movies, too.

And there is hope for a screen adaptation; Sony Pictures obtained the movie rights for the book in 2017, and screenwriter Derek Kolstad (of the John Wick franchise) was brought on board in 2019. Unfortunately, there has been little news since.

2. Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

The Alloy of Law is the first book of the Wax & Wayne saga (also known as Mistborn era 2) and is a four-book series about a gun-slinging lawman and reluctant noble named Waxillium Ladrian. It takes place on the planet of Scadrial in a setting reminiscent of the turn of the 20th century.

Now, if you’re a Brandon Sanderson fan, you might be tempted to slam your fist down and exclaim, “Wait a minute! What about the original Mistborn trilogy? What about The Stormlight Archive?!”

Yes, I love both of those series too. And yes, they are vastly more epic than Wax & Wayne, but therein lies the problem; it would be very difficult for a movie or TV show to do justice to books of such magnitude – especially Stormlight Archive, which is currently over 5100 pages combined and counting.

By contrast, Wax & Wayne has a much more streamlined story. Between the shootouts, train heists, kidnappings, comic relief (supplied by Wayne), and awesome, metal-fuelled magic, this series has the perfect blend of action, story, and character work for an incredible TV show.

Alas, as of now it does not seem it will come to pass, although Sanderson has been in talks with producers about his other books for many years now.

3. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Spend five minutes on romantasy BookTok, and mentions of this YA series are bound to come up. And while I don’t consider myself to be a romantasy fan in general, Throne of Glass is one of my favorite tales of all time.

And that’s because although the series features several romantic subplots, they don’t come at the expense of the story, which is what makes it so special.

It’s also the best-suited SJM series for TV adaptation; at eight books long, I can easily see the adaptation translating as one season per book. The magic system and world-building, while interesting and fun – aren’t overly complicated which means even casual viewers would likely enjoy it.

Like A Darker Shade of Magic, there were once rumblings that the series would make it to screen when Hulu announced they were working on a TV adaptation in 2016. Sadly, there have been no further developments since then and it seems likely the project has been shelved for the time being.

4. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Perhaps a little less well-known than the other books on this list, Laini Taylor’s Strange the Dreamer duology is a gorgeous and imaginative story about memory, transformation, love, wonder, and empathy.

The story follows Lazlo Strange, an orphan and librarian with an uncanny obsession with the mysterious magical city of Weep, a civilization from across the world that no one has heard from in two centuries. One day he gets the opportunity to join an expedition there to learn the fate of the city and its residents.

Without a doubt, what makes this duology so special is the vivid way Taylor paints every scene and character in the book, and I think with the right vision and budget, it would translate beautifully to the big screen.

Unfortunately, I could not find so much as a whisper of any such project. Movie rights for Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy (another fantastic fantasy series) were obtained in 2012 by Universal Pictures, but nothing has come of it – a theme that you may have noted by now is depressingly common.

5. Babel by R.F. Kuang

I love a good dark academia fantasy, and R.F. Kuang’s Babel is the best of the best. This story takes place in a parallel universe in the 1830s and is about a Chinese boy named Robin who is orphaned at the start of the novel and taken under the wing of Oxford professor, Lovell.

The professor prepares Robin to become a language and translation student at Oxford, where he learns how to use “match pair” words with blocks of silver to create magic. These magically bestowed blocks of silver are the world’s most valuable resource as they power everything from trains to buildings and bridges.

Aside from the unique magic system, at its heart this story is a dark look at colonialism, betrayal, and ethics. The characters are complicated and offer a brilliant perspective of how a person’s core values and actions are influenced by their experiences.

Although a movie about Babel would be a lot less action-packed than any of the others on this list, it would be unquestionably the most profound and heart-wrenching.

Fortunately, a screen adaptation of Babel is on the table, although there is no news yet as to if or when the project will move forward.

Final Thoughts

90% of the time, book-adapted movies and TV shows are seldom comparable to the source material. Nevertheless, as a huge fan of these books, I would be over the moon to see these ideas come to life on the screen. It would also be a great way to experience my favorite stories with friends and family who would probably never read the book.

And while there’s no telling whether these particular books will ever make it to the screen, that doesn’t mean one can’t dream!