Can Fourth Wing Finally Break The Romantasy Adaptation Curse?
Why can’t TV crack BookTok’s obsession?
“Romantasy” is one of those portmanteaus like “legacyquel” or “Barbenheimer” that have become ubiquitous recently. Only a few years ago, you would never have heard it in day-to-day life, but now it’s a necessary word that describes a very specific cultural phenomenon. In this case, the rise of romance/fantasy hybrid books quickly took over BookTok through a blend of high fantasy worldbuilding and bodice-ripping romance.
But strangely, that phenomenon seems to be restricted to books. While there are TV adaptations that are romances with some fantasy elements (like Outlander) or fantasy with some romance elements (like Game of Thrones), a classic romantasy hasn’t truly found success in streaming yet. However, a new adaptation of the popular romantasy novel Fourth Wing may just change that for good.
Fourth Wing and its following books have amassed a cult following especially through social media like TikTok.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon has ordered to series an adaptation of Fourth Wing, the first book in Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean series. It follows Violet Sorrengail, a 20-year-old swept up in the intense competition of Basgiath College, where she is training to become a dragon rider. Complicating matters is Xaden Riorson, an accomplished rider whose family has complex ties to Violet’s military relatives.
Fourth Wing has been in development for two years now, but the project has evolved since it was first announced. Now, Sinners star (and Oscar winner) Michael B. Jordan has signed on to executive produce, but it’s unclear if he’ll also appear in front of the camera as well.
Michael B. Jordan will serve as an Executive Producer for Fourth Wing.
Romantasy series have long had issues getting to the screen. Netflix was truly the first one to capitalize on the trend with Shadow and Bone, a series adapting Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse novels, but it was unceremoniously canceled after two seasons. Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses, often the book credited with catapulting the romantasy genre to the level it’s at today, was picked up by Hulu all the way back in 2021, but the streamer decided not to move forward with the series in 2025, with the rights reverting back to the author.
Meanwhile, non-fantastical romance adaptations are bigger on TV than ever, including shows like Bridgerton, Heated Rivalry, and Amazon’s own The Summer I Turned Pretty. What is it about fantastical romance that makes it so hard to find its footing in TV? If two members of the holy trinity of romantasy weren’t able to find success on screen, perhaps the third will.
