Sarah J. Maas gives an update on A Court of Thorns and Roses tv adaptation

Author Sarah J. Maas has confirmed that the planned television adaptation of her A Court of Thorns and Roses fantasy series has been paused while she focuses on completing the franchise’s upcoming books.

Speaking to host Alex Cooper during a March 4 appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Maas said her immediate priority is writing the next instalments in the series after a gap since the last release.

“Right now, my focus is on books,” Sarah said. “It’s been a little while since you guys have had something, so I’m focusing on that.”

The television project was originally announced in 2021 when streaming platform Hulu revealed plans to adapt the bestselling fantasy novels for television. Ronald D. Moore, known for his work on Outlander, was attached to lead writing and production on the project.

However, Moore later confirmed in July 2024 that he was no longer involved. Speaking at a Comic-Con event, he said he had stepped away from the adaptation after leaving Disney and returning to Sony, adding that he was unsure about the project’s current status.

Maas also said she has recently regained the rights to all of her novels, a move she explained will allow her to have greater oversight of any future screen adaptation.

“Any TV movie adaptation is kind of like another facet of the worlds that I’ve created, and it’s something that I want to be in charge of—I want to be figuring out,” she explained. “I want to be learning everything that I can.”

She added that maintaining the original vision of the story is important when considering adaptations. “I want to see everything adapted the way I envision it, and the way I know fans want it.”

Maas also expressed concern about changes made for broader audiences during the adaptation process. “I don’t ever want to hear, ‘Oh, we need to change this to appeal to XYZ demographic,’” she said. “I’m like, ‘No, that’s not how you make art. That’s not how I create my stories.’”

Despite the pause in development, fans can still expect new entries in the A Court of Thorns and Roses book series. Maas recently confirmed that the sixth novel will be released on October 27, followed by the seventh on January 12.