Despite living in a world where it feels like every book is becoming an adaptation, the reality is actually very far from that. Every week, we see flashy headlines about books headed to the big screen, but a lot of them will never actually reach that point. Having a director attached or obtaining the rights never guarantees that a project will be adapted. And today, we’re diving into the power of (finally) getting greenlit/ordered and what it actually means:
Books often find themselves on this path:
Book rights get optioned
The announcement goes viral
Fans wait for years
Nothing happens
Getting optioned means that someone has temporarily bought the rights to the IP/material/book. It’s often less expensive than full-scale production and gives a studio or streaming service an exclusive window to begin developing a project or to attach talent. Sometimes things immediately get into motion, and other times they sit untouched for years. In the development stage, writers, directors, and producers can begin to be attached to the project, and multiple scripts can be written. All that to say, the project is not officially confirmed yet—everything is an “if.”
Elsie Silver also recently explained this for her own audience a few weeks ago when her series Rose Hill was greenlit. Most likely anticipating that some readers were already under the impression it was official she shared:
Basically, after the rights are acquired nothing is guaranteed. The studio still wants to see what the vision for the show is and how adaptation will work. So, writers get hired, scripts get written, they get revised (and revised again) until the studio officially decides, “Yes, this is bomb. We want this made. Go ahead and start filming it.” — Elsie Silver
Being “greenlit” means a studio approves production, and the material has essentially been given the “green light” to move toward actually filming.
In the context of Fourth Wing, we found out that Amazon MGM Studios acquired the rights to the series in October 2023. Deadline shared that the acquisition took place pre-WGA strike, following a heated auction. They also shared that Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society production company would produce the series. Given how popular Fourth Wing was at the time (and still is), this was a huge deal on BookTok, and everyone seemed to be talking about it. At this time, only the rights had been acquired, and no official green light had been given, so we waited, and we fancasted.
It wasn’t until July of the following year, 2024, that we got one step closer when Amazon MGM Studios attached Moira Walley-Beckett as the showrunner for the TV series. A year later, Walley-Beckett left, and Jac Schaeffer, the creator and executive producer of Marvel’s WandaVision and spinoff Agatha All Along, was being eyed to take over the role. She wasn’t the only name up for consideration, and just a few months later, Meredith Averill became the new showrunner of Fourth Wing. Averill was the executive producer of Wednesday season 2 and was in final negotiations to join the project in September 2025. This has now been confirmed.
On May 11th, After three years of waiting, Michael B. Jordan announced onstage at the Amazon upfront presentation that Fourth Wing is moving forward with a series order. Where “greenlit” is a broad approval, a “series order” dictates what was actually approved. During his announcement, he welcomed Lisa Joy, who will direct the first episode, alongside Meredith Averill, and Rebecca Yarros on stage:
“We are making sure that this is going to be a exciting show that delivers on all of the things the fans want and some of the things that they won’t be expecting either. But trust me, I know how beloved this franchise IP is and we’re diligently…We’re in the lab; we’re cooking up. We got it. It’s coming. It’s early stages, but I feel how much people care about this one. It’s not lost on us.” — Michael B. Jordan, Elle
“Rebecca’s books have become one of the fastest-selling franchises of the 21st century, with a fandom so passionate, so devoted, they don’t just read these books, they live in them, and it’s because Fourth Wing is everything at once. The emotional stakes are sky high, the battles are epic, power dynamics are thrilling, and underneath it is so much humor and heart and a romance that will consume you.” — Meredith Averill, Elle
No casting or release date updates have been made thus far. And so the waiting game begins again (but that doesn’t mean I’m any less excited). A series order/greenlit is HUGE and represents actual forward movement!
Fourth Wing could’ve sat in development jail for years to come. It’s essentially what happened with A Court of Thorns and Roses, but Sarah J. Maas now retains her film and TV rights once again. Making a movie or tv show is not an easy job. Some suffer from creative differences while other simply lose momentum. But after three years, we can finally let ourselves become excited because it’s finally happening.
Built-in fandoms.
We’ve talked about the power of BookTok before, but it’s worth mentioning time and time again how massive the platform’s influence is. BookTok can create an audience before a show even exists, and readers become marketers in their own ways. Fan casts, theories and edits all become mini ads without even trying. Traditional marketing, or even social media campaigns, don’t come close to having that kind of impact. Organic and natural passion for a book beats everything else out. The #fourthwing tag alone has 888.0k posts attached to it.
The romantasy boom in the last few years has contributed to studios' interest in this IP. I haven’t seen a genre this popular since the dystopian days of The Hunger Games or Divergent. Readers aren’t only reading the books, they’re participating and connecting—joining a community. Fourth Wing trivia. Fourth Wing playlists. Fourth Wing merch. The possibilities are endless. The genre as a whole appeals to multiple audiences all at once—fantasy readers, adult readers, and romance readers.
I can’t say Fourth Wing is my favourite book out there, but I can understand and appreciate why it’s so big and what it’s done for the book world and its readers <3
It’s also worth mentioning that Prime Video and Amazon MGM has been on a roll with adatations since The Summer I Turned Pretty and they show no signs of slowing down either. From a reader & consumer perspective, I think they do a marvelous job at catering to the readers—we know that and they know that. Building that trust with an audience is so key right now as books are being picked up left and right. Whether or not they make it to the screen, that trust remains.
Books That Have Been OPTIONED:
Chesnut Springs Series by Elsie Silver
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Quicksilver by Callie Hart
Windy City Series by Liz Tomeforde
Books That Have Been GREENLIT / ORDERED:
Rose Hill Series by Elsie Silver
Boys of Tommen Series by Chloe Walsh
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Realistically speaking? Probably not, but that’s the reality of having these massive fandoms. You simply can’t please everyone. We’ve seen it recently with Off Campus, with people having mixed opinions about the changes from the book to the show. But just because fans aren’t super pleased with a change, doesn’t mean they won’t watch it. It’ll never be perfect, and it gets a lot easier once you treat them both as separate media. I like a similar vibe, and if I get that, I’m happy!
➡️ What’s a book you’d LOVE to see on the screens?
…here’s what else is happening in the book world!
Why The Fever Dream Audiobook Might Ruin All Other Audiobooks for You
Not Everything Needs to Be the Next Heated Rivalry, and here’s why shows like ‘Off Campus’ deserve their own spotlight!
Spotify Reveals Their Most Listened to Audiobooks of ALL TIME + which ones should have made the list!
The Right Way to Revisit ‘The Hunger Games’ Books Before ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ If you’re not over the trailer yet, this is for you.
Romance Isn’t Just Getting Bigger—It’s Reshaping The Industry
The Books Hollywood Grabbed This March (every book that got optioned for an adaptation this month)
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