The Throne Of Glass TV Series: 5 Crucial Updates And Why Hulu’s Cancellation Of ACOTAR Changes Everything In 2025

The long-awaited television adaptation of Sarah J. Maas’s beloved high-fantasy series, Throne of Glass, remains in a state of indefinite limbo, and the news is not encouraging as of December 2025. Fans have been holding their breath for nearly a decade since the initial announcement, but the project—once titled Queen of Shadows—has seen virtually no public movement. The most recent and significant update, however, comes not directly from the Throne of Glass production team, but from the fate of a sister project: the cancellation of the A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series by the same streamer, Hulu, in early 2025. This shocking development casts a massive shadow over the future of any Sarah J. Maas adaptation at the network, especially one already stalled for so long.

For those unfamiliar, the Throne of Glass series is a sprawling, eight-book epic centered on the assassin Celaena Sardothien, who embarks on a journey from a deadly contest to a battle for the very fate of her continent, Erilea. The sheer scope, complex world-building, and massive fan base—spanning from the initial novel to the final volume, Kingdom of Ash—make it a prime candidate for a prestige fantasy series, yet its journey to the screen has been fraught with silence and uncertainty.

The Stalled Production: What We Know About the Original 2016 Hulu Plans

The first and last major official announcement regarding the Throne of Glass TV series came years ago, cementing the adaptation’s home and key creative personnel. This information, while old, is the foundation of the project's current status.

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The Original Team and Title

• The Streamer: Hulu initially acquired the rights to the series.
• The Title: The adaptation was originally announced under the title Queen of Shadows, which is the fourth, and arguably most pivotal, book in the main series. This suggests the producers intended to move quickly past the initial, more contained plots of Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight.
• The Writer: Kira Snyder, known for her work on the dystopian series The 100 and the fantasy series The Handmaid's Tale, was attached as the writer for the pilot episode. Snyder's experience in adapting complex, female-led narratives from page to screen made her a promising choice.
• The Director/Executive Producer: Anna Foerster, who directed episodes of Outlander and the film Underworld: Blood Wars, was slated to direct the pilot and executive produce.
• The Production Company: The Mark Gordon Company was attached to produce the series.

Despite this high-profile team and the clear intent to adapt the story of Celaena Sardothien, the project has been dormant for years. Industry silence often indicates that a project has been quietly shelved or is stuck in "development hell," where scripts are rewritten, budgets are debated, and momentum is lost.

The ACOTAR Cancellation Effect: Why Hope Has Dimmed in 2025

For years, fans of Sarah J. Maas held onto the idea that the successful launch of Hulu's A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series would inevitably "pave the way" for Throne of Glass. The logic was sound: if one Maas adaptation proved to be a massive hit, the streamer would immediately greenlight the second. However, this speculation has been completely upended by recent events.

In February and March of 2025, multiple reports confirmed that the highly anticipated ACOTAR TV series, which had been in development with showrunner Ronald D. Moore (of Outlander and Battlestar Galactica fame) and Maas herself, was officially cancelled by Hulu. This decision, coming after years of development, sent shockwaves through the book community and delivered a devastating blow to the prospects of the Throne of Glass adaptation.

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The cancellation of ACOTAR indicates that Hulu, for reasons likely related to budget, creative differences, or a shifting content strategy, is no longer prioritizing the costly adaptation of Sarah J. Maas's fantasy epics. Since Throne of Glass was already stalled and required an even larger scope—spanning assassins, magic, Fae, witches, and multiple continents—it is now extremely unlikely that Hulu will revive the 2016 project. The rights may still technically reside with the streamer, but the will to produce it seems to have vanished.

The Road Ahead: How a New Studio Could Revive Celaena’s Story

The only realistic path forward for the Throne of Glass TV series is for the rights to revert back to Sarah J. Maas and her team, allowing them to shop the project to a new studio or streaming service. A new home could provide the necessary budget and creative vision to tackle the series' immense scope, which includes the complex political landscape of Adarlan, the Fae world of Wendlyn, and the dark magic of the Wyrdkeys and Wyrdmarks.

A new adaptation would need to fully embrace the story's evolution from a simple assassin competition in the Glass Castle to a full-blown high-fantasy war. The series' main characters and their arcs are too rich and complex to be contained in a small-scale production:

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• Celaena Sardothien / Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius: The protagonist’s transformation from a broken assassin to the rightful Queen of Terrasen is the core of the story.
• Rowan Whitethorn Galathynius: The immortal Fae prince and mate to Aelin, whose power and presence are central to the later books.
• Dorian Havilliard: The Crown Prince of Adarlan, whose journey involves hidden magic and a struggle against his tyrannical father, the King of Adarlan.
• Chaol Westfall: The Captain of the Guard, whose loyalty is constantly tested between his prince, his king, and Celaena.
• Manon Blackbeak: The fearsome Blackbeak Witch and leader of the Thirteen, whose redemption arc is one of the series’ most celebrated subplots.

The narrative is vast, covering multiple continents and timelines, including the prequel novellas collected in The Assassin's Blade, which are crucial for understanding Celaena's backstory and her relationship with Sam Cortland.

The Scope of the Adaptation: Entities and World-Building

To succeed, a new studio would need to commit to adapting all eight books (seven main novels and the prequel collection), requiring a multi-season commitment similar to Game of Thrones or The Witcher. The series is packed with essential entities and locations that demand a massive production budget:

Key Books & Series Titles: Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn, Kingdom of Ash, The Assassin's Blade.

Geographical Entities: Erilea, Adarlan, Terrasen, Wendlyn, Rifthold, Orynth, the Southern Continent.

Magical & Creature Entities: Fae, Witches, Valg, Wyrdkeys, Wyrdmarks, Ironteeth Witches, Crochan Witches, Wyverns, Goldryn.

The sheer density of the world created by Sarah J. Maas, including characters like Elide Lochan, Lorcan Salvaterre, Lysandra, and Aedion Ashryver, means that any adaptation must be handled with care and a massive financial investment. The fact that two major Maas adaptations—Throne of Glass and ACOTAR—have stalled or been canceled at Hulu suggests that the challenge of bringing this scale of fantasy to life is proving too difficult for the current streaming environment.

Conclusion: The Future is Uncertain, But Hope Remains

As of late 2025, the Throne of Glass TV series remains a dream rather than a reality. The 2016 Hulu project is all but officially dead, especially following the cancellation of the ACOTAR series. The only way fans will ever see Celaena Sardothien, Rowan Whitethorn, and Dorian Havilliard on screen is if a major player like Amazon (which produces The Rings of Power), Netflix (which produces The Witcher), or HBO (which produces House of the Dragon) steps in to acquire the rights and commit to the multi-season, mega-budget epic that the series truly deserves. Until then, the story of the greatest assassin in Adarlan will remain confined to the pages of the books.