One Of These Upcoming Fantasy Shows Could Fill The GAME OF THRONES-Sized Void In Your TV Viewing Schedule

One Of These Upcoming Fantasy Shows Could Fill The GAME OF THRONES-Sized Void In Your TV Viewing Schedule

Netflix's The Witcher appears to have done the books and video games justice, but the Henry Cavill-led series didn't quite ensnare audiences the same way Game of Thrones did... at least, not yet.

Feature Opinion
By MarkJulian - Jan 08, 2020 12:01 PM EST
Filed Under: Fantasy
After a spectacular run of 7 seasons, HBO's Game of Thrones concluded with an incredibly divisive 8th and final season back in May, earning a 55% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics (33% score from fans). In essence, that means audiences haven't enjoyed peak Game of Thrones pandemonium since the season 7 finale all the way back in August 2017! 

Yet. final season disappointment aside, the show still retains the title of best fantasy drama of all-time, leaving a sizable void in everyone's TV viewing schedule. Recently, Netflix's The Witcher stepped up to the plate and managed a ground double - a laudable effort, but still a far cry from the grand slam levels of Game of Thrones fandom that saw Arya and Khaleesi become popular baby names.

So, what's left out there for fantasy enthusiasts? There's scarce pickings at the moment, but what we do have is a host of hungry contenders that should produce at least one worthy challenger for the Iron Throne crown. From The Kingkiller Chronicle to The Wheel of Time, click the NEXT button below for a rundown of all the in-development fantasy series.

Michael Moorcock's ELRIC



Glen Mazzara (The Walking Dead) and Vaun Wilmott (Star Trek: Discovery) are developing Michael Moorcock’s epic fantasy novel series for TV.  The duo are currently looking to find a home for the project but it's likely that they won't be looking for long.  The '70s sword-and-sorcery series from Michael Moorcock has influenced a number of more well-known fantasy series much the same way that John Carter inspired a generation of sci-fi tales.

The Dark Tower



After many false starts and hiccups, a live-action Dark Tower movie finally hit theaters and even enlisted the A-list star power of Idris Elba to boot.  It was a colossal flop.  Yet, there's a TV show in the works that just might do Stephen King's source material justice.  EastEnders' Sam Strike is set to replace Elba as Roland Deschain while Vikings and  BlacKkKlansman supporting actor Jasper Pääkkönen replaces Matthew McConaughey as The Man In Black. 

The Wheel of Time



For many years in the high-fantasy genre, there was the Lord of the Rings at the top and battling for second, GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire and Robert Jordan's A Wheel of Time fantasy series.  With HBO's adaptation catapulting Game of Thrones into the same rarefied air as Tolkien's work, A Wheel of Time has been left distressingly far behind.  Well, that might change thanks to Amazon, who are currently filming a television adaptation starring Rosamund Pike.  If showrunner Rafe Lee Judkins captures what makes Robert Jordan's fantasy world so rich, Amazon might have found the crown jewel of its platform.

Warhammer TV Show



What started as a miniature wargame is now looking to become the next epic fantasy television series.  The Man in the High Castle creator Frank Spotnitz is developing (and shopping) a Warhammer 40,000 TV adaptation titled Eisenhorn, which finds humanity teetering on the edge of extinction and a team led by Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn who's looking to stave off the aliens, demons and other threats attempting to accomplish the deed. The TV series will be taking its cues from the series of Warhammer novels written by veteran comic scribe Dan Abnett. 

Lord of the Rings Prequel Series



Amazon isn't just betting on The Wheel of Time to fill the Game of Thrones void, the streaming platform is reportedly pumping a jaw-dropping amount of money into a Lord of the Rings prequel series set during the Second Age of Middle-earth. The Second Age is generally defined as the period between the fall of Morgoth (Sauron's master) and the formation of the Last Alliance (which was briefly glimpsed in the films).  Amazon is said to have committed to a 5 season series, with an option for a spinoff. A separate report from Reuters states that the first two seasons will cost Amazon a cool $500M USD.

Lazarus



While everyone focuses on the streaming war between Disney+ and Netflix, Amazon is quietly assembling some weapons of mass destruction.  They appear yet again on our rundown, this time with an adaptation of the Greg Rucka and Michael Lark comic, Lazarus.  The rights to the comic were initially purchased by Legendary 2015, who then sold the project to Amazon in 2017.  The series imagines a dystopian world governed by 16 families, who each run their territories in a feudal system.  Each family settles disputes with a genetically-modified champion known as a Lazarus.  

Wild Cards



George RR Martin's second most-famous property is his anthology superhero series Wild Cards, which imagines an X-Men-like world where an alien virus bestows superpowers by mutating human DNA.  Ideas for the series sprung from a Superworld role-playing campaign that saw Martin serving as gamemaster. A total of 27 books have been released to date, with Martin writing 9 and serving as editor on the rest.

The Kingkiller Chronicle



No disrespect to George R.R. Martin or Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson but the best high-fantasy series of the last decade has been Patrick Rothfuss's The Kingkiller Chronicle.  The series unfolds as a three-day oral autobiography of an infamous adventurer/rogue, now living out his days as an unassuming barkeep.  Each book accounts for one day, with the third and final installment, The Doors of Stone, currently forthcoming (hopefully).   Lionsgate owns the rights to the series and in late-2017, Showtime signed on to develop the project before it ultimately stalled in September 2019.  Lionsgate is now shopping the project around Tinseltown.  

Naomi Watts-led Game of Thrones Prequel  Cancelled



What seemed to be a surefire hit was summarily canceled by HBO back in November.  The decision was made after the pilot was reported, "not well-received".  The prequel was said to be set 1,000 years before the events of the TV series and focus on The Long Night.

House of Dragons Targaryen prequel



Just before the Game of Thrones prequel set 1,000 before the events of the show was axed, a second prequel, set 300 years before Robert Baratheon's uprising was announced. This one is still in development and is titled House of Dragons.  It will be set during the time of Aegon the Conqueror and focus on how the Targaryen's came into power.  

Earthsea 



While the 2004 Earthsea miniseries from SYFY is near and dear to many, it didn't quite do the books justice.  Thankfully, there's a new adaptation of the beloved Ursula K. LeGuin series in development from Nightcrawler producer Jennifer Fox.  

Shadow and Bone



The Punisher's Ben Barnes will star in an adaptation of  Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone for Netflix.  The fantasy series follows a teenage soldier who discovers she possesses an unexpected magical power and the sinister forces who plot against her.  Netflix has committed to an 8-episode adaptation that will reportedly cover all 3 books in the series.

The Watch  (Discworld)



A television series focused on the Ankh-Morpork City Watch from Terry Pratchet's Discworld is in development at BBC.  The unique adaptation will be a high-fantasy, police procedural with a heavy comedic slant.  

Cursed



Netflix Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler's graphic novel re-imagining of the King Arthur legend has yet to be released but Netflix has already committed to a TV adaptation that will be released in 2020.  Katherine Langford is set to star as Nimue, the tragic heroine of the tale who's destined to become the  Lady of the Lake.  Netflix has committed to a 10-episode first season.  

Willow



A Willow sequel TV series spearheaded by Jon Kasdan (son of Empire Strikes Back scribe Lawrence Kasdan) is currently in development at Disney+.  Warwick Davis will be returning to his role as the titular hero, while the show will focus on a now-adult, Elora. 

The Witcher Season 2



Is Henry Cavill trading in his Superman cape for a Witcher sword? Who can say for sure. as early-2019 saw reports surface highlighting the difficulties Cavill's team had hammering out a contract extension for the British actor to continue playing the Man of Steel.  With a new Batman set to make his debut in 2020, perhaps WB will also decide to transition to a new Superman?  Regardless of how things shape out, Cavill seems to have found success with Netflix's adaptation of the beloved Witcher book and video game franchise. Showrunner  Lauren Schmidt Hissrich is promising that the second season of the adaptation will surpass the first, which was well-received by fans and critics alike.
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AwesomePromoz
AwesomePromoz - 1/8/2020, 12:48 PM
I wish they would do David Eddings' Belgariad. I loved those ones as a teenager.
Chewtoy
Chewtoy - 1/8/2020, 1:15 PM
@TheFamousJMC - I absolutely loved reading the Belgariad... just pure reading fun. It'd be a very tricky one to adapt though, because it used all of the usual fantasy tropes stereotyping groups of people but had them all be humans, so it seems like a potential minefield in this day an age.
rebellion
rebellion - 1/8/2020, 12:59 PM
im super hyped for wot and witcher s2, but i dont think anything will ever reach got levels. which is a damn shame, considering how it ended.
528491
528491 - 1/8/2020, 1:05 PM
No mention of Season 2 of His Dark Materials on HBO / BBC?

Likewise no mention of in-development Chronicles of Narnia at Netflix?
TheManWithoutFear
TheManWithoutFear - 1/8/2020, 1:10 PM
Will Rothfuss ever release that third book?
MarkJulian
MarkJulian - 1/8/2020, 1:16 PM
@TheManWithoutFear -
Chewtoy
Chewtoy - 1/8/2020, 1:22 PM
I'm kind of shocked that nobody is developing the Dragonlance books as a live-action series after Game of Thrones. Sure, it's far less mature stuff, but it's damn well-known and ripe for a nostalgic fanbase to embrace, chock full of fun adventure, war, and dragons.
Chewtoy
Chewtoy - 1/8/2020, 1:25 PM
Thanson
Thanson - 1/8/2020, 8:59 PM
@Chewtoy - This is all I have ever wanted. Dragonlance Chronicles was the first fantasy material I ever read decades ago.
lawndart
lawndart - 1/9/2020, 6:30 AM
@Chewtoy - I read that trilogy right after the original Tarzan and LOTR books. Got me hooked on fantasy for a long time (and made a lot of $ from me).
Lostcause
Lostcause - 1/8/2020, 1:24 PM
Just started chapter 10 in The Wheel of Time. I dig it thus far. I'd love to see The Sword of Truth done well for a show. I have Shadow and Bone to start. I'm halfway through Name of the Wind in the The Kingkiller Chronicle...love this story so far. House of Dragons...I need this! Most of all...WILLOW!!! Damn I love Warwick Davis. I'm sure they will get a nice Ginger Hottie for Elora. I'm in!
geekarchitect
geekarchitect - 1/8/2020, 1:24 PM
I'm still waiting for a Legend of Zelda movie or series.
Vegetaray123
Vegetaray123 - 1/8/2020, 1:29 PM
@geekarchitect - This x100000
geekarchitect
geekarchitect - 1/8/2020, 1:37 PM
@Vegetaray123 - Right? I'm so confused why is this still not happening.
KingLeonidas
KingLeonidas - 1/8/2020, 1:30 PM
The Witcher is where this is at.
Chewtoy
Chewtoy - 1/8/2020, 1:33 PM
Not a show, but I'm also appalled that Christopher Lee didn't live to see the live-action version of The Last Unicorn that he wanted to make so much. With all of these stabs at things like Maleficent and whatnot in theaters, how was making this a live-action film too great a hurdle for producers?

Goldboink
Goldboink - 1/8/2020, 1:45 PM
How about The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever? The Majipoor Chronicles?
NicholiB
NicholiB - 1/9/2020, 10:19 PM
@Goldboink - "How about The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever?"

Good shout, but the Conan series got cancelled because of a rapey Conan scene (allegedly) so I don't see them going near full on rapist Thomas Covenant without some serious re writing?
Goldboink
Goldboink - 1/10/2020, 5:07 AM
@NicholiB -
That’s why my wife won’t read him. Lots of raping going on.
HarryBloodscreaming
HarryBloodscreaming - 1/8/2020, 2:16 PM
I want this to be made into a series.
ElJefe
ElJefe - 1/8/2020, 2:56 PM
Has anyone read Cursed yet? It’s on my TBR list.
MuadDib
MuadDib - 1/8/2020, 3:24 PM
Lazarus sounds cool but it also sounds just like Into the Badlands
rkshuttleworth
rkshuttleworth - 1/8/2020, 6:22 PM
All I can say is I love fantasy, but this seems like too much to watch lol.
Rosraf
Rosraf - 1/8/2020, 8:24 PM
For some reason, I feel like the Willow series might work. Just enough history to be nostalgic, but also largely unwritten and not tied to any real canonical material.
Thanson
Thanson - 1/8/2020, 9:08 PM
My three title wish list...

1.) Dragonlance Chronicles

2.) Shannara (a faithful adaptation)

3.) The Passage (a faithful adaptation)
FlammableSolid
FlammableSolid - 1/8/2020, 10:36 PM
Eisenhorn! Hope they can do that justice. Quite a difficult thing to bring the Warhammer 40k universe to the screen. Can’t wait to see what they do with it. I’d of preferred Ravenor cos I hated the Eisenhorn trilogy but I’ll give it a go cos it’s 40k.
thunderforce
thunderforce - 1/9/2020, 4:18 AM
The 3 I would like to see the most are Belgariad , Drizzit and the Necroscope
lawndart
lawndart - 1/9/2020, 6:29 AM
@thunderforce - A movie or series (preferable) on Drizt would be awesome.
lawndart
lawndart - 1/9/2020, 6:31 AM
Just give me The Crystal Shard and go from there.
NicholiB
NicholiB - 1/9/2020, 10:14 PM
They already had a potential replacement GOT candidate in the cancelled Conan Amazon series.

I understand Conan's rapey routine in The Frost Giant's daughter had to go, but it's a shame we lost the whole thing to Wokedom.
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