In 2026 and beyond, the fantasy genre is making a triumphant return to the forefront of Hollywood film and television. In the era before the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the predominance of superhero blockbusters, fantasy was incredibly popular in Hollywood, partly due to the desire of many studios to replicate the success of Warner Bros.' Harry Potter. While Peter Jackson began his journey through Middle-earth and J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings before the wizarding world even hit the screens, projects like Fox's Percy Jackson and Disney's Narnia were driven by the hope of finding the next young adult fantasy phenomenon.
It's arguable that 16 years ago, around 2010-2011, Hollywood reached the height of its fantasy craze, as the two-part finale of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hit theaters two years in a row. Although Fox hoped to capitalize on this success with Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief, it never materialized, and Disney abandoned The Chronicles of Narnia after The Journey to the Dawn Treader. However, the genre continued to thrive in a sense after 2011, when Peter Jackson began filming The Hobbit trilogy, a prequel to The Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones launched its eight-season run on HBO.
Sixteen years have passed, and the Hollywood landscape has changed dramatically, with superhero fatigue starting to pose problems for Marvel and DC. While studios struggle for a new breakthrough, many are instead returning to something old, and four upcoming fantasy adaptations harken back to this forgotten era…
Harry Potter
At the forefront of Hollywood's second phase of fantasy development is Harry Potter, Warner Bros.' second attempt to adapt J.K. Rowling's seven-volume Wizarding World saga. Following the resounding success of the original eight films (released between 2001 and 2011), the studio hopes the new HBO series will generate similar interest.
HBO's Harry Potter series aims to differentiate itself from the films by expanding the mythology and more faithfully adapting Rowling's beloved novels. The first season, based on "The Philosopher's Stone," is nearly complete and will air on December 25, and HBO has already renewed the series for a second season, based on "The Chamber of Secrets," which will begin production later this year.
Percy Jackson
Although Disney+ has already released two seasons of Percy Jackson, based on The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters, the next one will be a turning point. 20th Century Fox has so far limited itself to adaptations of Rick Riordan's first two novels, but the third season will finally be the first adaptation of The Titan's Curse.
Disney+ is expected to continue airing Percy Jackson through Season 5, with adaptations of The Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian expected to arrive after Season 3 later this year. Meanwhile, lead actor Walker Scobell called The Titan's Curse »"The most accurate season to the book"« to date.
Narnia: The Magician's Nephew
Netflix has become the latest Hollywood studio to adapt C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia, following three Disney films released between 2005 and 2010. The streaming service will bring the world beyond the closet to the big screen in IMAX on February 12, 2027, with Greta Gerwig, known for her work on Barbie, set to direct.
This time, Netflix's adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia begins not with Lewis's first novel, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but with the chronological beginning, The Magician's Nephew. Sex Education star Emma Mackey voices the White Witch, and The Devil Wears Prada star Meryl Streep will reportedly voice Aslan the lion.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum
After Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy was released in the 2000s, followed by a three-film adaptation of The Hobbit in the 2010s, the reins now pass to Venom: Let There Be Carnage director and Gollum actor Andy Serkis, who will helm The Hunt for Gollum, which premieres on December 17, 2027.
Work is also underway on a sequel to The Lord of the Rings saga, titled The Shadow of the Past, with a screenplay written by Stephen Colbert, a renowned Tolkien enthusiast and talk show host. The story unfolds fourteen years after Frodo's death, as Sam, Merry, and Pippin retrace their initial journey, as depicted in Jackson's original trilogy.
New Hollywood fantasy films join the four biggest film franchises in the pipeline for adaptation.
But these four films are far from the only fantasy adaptations in development in Hollywood, proving that the genre is finally making a comeback in a big way. First, the Game of Thrones saga shows no signs of slowing down at Warner Bros.: House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are still on the horizon, and the blockbuster Aegon's Conquest is officially in development.
Even Apple TV+ has found a Harry Potter replacement in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn franchise, which also relies on the familiar "Chosen One" plotline, albeit with a unique twist: «"What if the Dark Lord had won?"» Either way, the idea of studios looking for their own Harry Potter is very reminiscent of the late 2000s.
After Percy Jackson became a hit on Disney+, Disney found its next major fantasy project: Eragon, which tells the story of a young boy who becomes a dragon rider and learns magic to rebel against a tyrannical king. The series is the second adaptation of Christopher Paolini's novels, following the 2006 film.
It's also easy to forget that DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragon is based on Cressida Cowell's fantasy novels. The animated trilogy may be over, but Universal will continue releasing live-action remakes, with How to Train Your Dragon 2 slated for release in June 2027, likely followed by the final installment.