Sarah J. Maas, the celebrated author behind the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, has made the decision to temporarily halt the television adaptation of her beloved franchise due to creative discrepancies. During an insightful appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast on March 4th, hosted by Alex Cooper, Maas emphasized, "Right now, my sole focus is on the books. It's been a while since you guys have had something new, so I'm dedicated to completing the remaining chapters."
However, this doesn't imply that the TV project has been completely forgotten. In fact, the Crescent City scribe revealed that she recently acquired the rights to all her novels, allowing her to exert more control over the ACOTAR adaptation when she's ready to shift her attention to the medium. "Any TV movie adaptation is akin to another facet of the worlds I've created," Sarah explained. "I want to be in charge of it, to learn and understand every aspect. I'm a bit of a control freak, but it's not about power; it's about my love for movies and TV."
Sarah is steadfast in ensuring that the TV show adheres to her vision and caters to her core audience. As she eloquently put it, "I want everything adapted in a way that aligns with my vision and what I know fans desire." This is why she's concerned about potential creative differences with Hollywood executives. "I never want to hear, 'Oh, we need to change this to appeal to XYZ demographic,'" Sarah continued. "I'm like, 'No, that's not how you make art. That's not how I create my stories.'"
The ACOTAR TV adaptation was first announced by Hulu in 2021, with showrunner Ronald D. Moore leading the writing and production. However, three years later, it appears the series has hit a standstill after Moore revealed his departure for a career shift during a Comic-Con 2024 event in July 2024. "I can tell you I am no longer working on it because I left Disney and I've returned to Sony," he told Entertainment Weekly. "I don't know what the status is anymore."
Despite this setback, fans of ACOTAR have plenty to look forward to. Sarah confirmed that the sixth installment, currently untitled, will be released on October 27th, with the seventh following on January 12th due to their interconnected narratives. "The story that was finally ready to come out of me was immense—truly colossal," she explained on Call Her Daddy. "As I started writing it in Montana, it felt like a vortex of energy. By the end of part one, it had ballooned to over 400 pages."
