Netflix is bringing a new world of fantasy to screen with their adaptation of Callie Hart’sQuicksilvernovels, but the production already faces steep competition from two Prime Video series set to explore the emerging subgenre. First released in 2024, Hart’s “Romantasy” novel focuses on Saeris Fane, who finds herself forced tojoin forces with an enigmatic Fae warriorto find her way home. Upon release,Quicksilverbecame a viral hit on TikTok, as the title amassed 3 million viewers on the platform through fandom discussions.
While only the first book in a larger series, the race to acquire the rights toQuicksilverwas highly contentious within the television and movie industry. Amidst ten potential bidders,Netflix emerged as the victor forQuicksilverafteroffering a seven-figure deal for the first novel’s adaptation rights in late 2024, with Elizabeth Cantillon set to act as an executive producer while The Cantillon Company will handle production. Despite an impressive deal that suggests the novel may become the next big literary phenomenon, Prime Video is already keen to capitalize on similar viral novel hits.
Netflix’s Quicksilver Adaptation Now Has 2 Huge Competitors Coming To Prime Video
Two Major Fantasy Hits Were Picked Up By Amazon
Prior toQuicksilverbeing acquired by Netflix,Prime Video acquired the rights to bring Rebecca Yarros’Empyreanseries to television, beginning with anadaptation of the hit 2023 novelFourth Wing. The novel series explores the journey of reluctant dragon rider Violet Sorrengail, who is pushed into the path of becoming one of Navarre’s flying defenders under pressure from her mother, leading to her battling to prove herself among her fellow students. Amazon MGM Studios acquired the rights in 2023 to develop the series alongside Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society production company.
Following this, Prime Video also acquired the rights to develop an adaptation of Lauren Roberts’Powerlessnovel trilogy in June 2025. In Powerless, the world is divided into a strict class system of the empowered Elites and the downtrodden Ordinarys, where young thief Paedyn Gray is forced into competing in a deadly game after unwittingly saving a prince’s life. LikeFourth Wing,Prime Video will bring the world ofPowerlessto television through a series, withDark’sDaphne Ferraro set to helm the production.
Fourth Wing & Powerless Give Prime Video A Leg Up In The Romantasy Genre
Prime Video Is Committing To An Increasingly Lucrative Genre
While Prime Video is no stranger to the fantasy genre thanks toThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, My Lady Jane, andThe Wheel of Time,bothFourth WingandPowerlessshow that the streamer is honing in on a specific, little-explored subgenre.BothFourth WingandPowerlessfall intothe subgenre of “romantasy”, tales set in fantastical worlds often revolving around or being driven by a central romance. Though series such asOutlanderfall under this banner, there are few shows within the genre, making Prime Video one of the first streamers to embrace it.
Fourth Wing & Powerless Have Another Advantage Over Quicksilver
Both Series Have Firmly Established Themselves
While securing the rights toFourth WingandPowerlesshas set Prime Video up as having the most investment in the romantasy genre, both series also give the streamer another advantage over Netflix and their adaptation ofQuicksilver. WithQuicksilverhaving been the most recent novel to be published out of the three, it is a far less established series. In comparison, thePowerlesstrilogy is complete, andtheEmpyreansaga has just published the third novelin a five-book series. As such,while a second novel,Brimstone, is expected in fall 2025,Quicksilverruns the risk of outpacing its source material.
Of course, while Prime Video may have someadvantages withFourth WingandPowerless, their two romantasy series also share several issues that could prove troublesome. All three titles are set in fantastical worlds that could prove difficult for a streamer to bring to screens. Nevertheless, should both Netflix and Prime Video succeed in adaptingQuicksilver,Fourth Wing, andPowerless, they could set the next popular media trend for several years to come.
