This change has included devoting their resources to prioritizing original, high-quality projects as opposed to acquiring the licenses to stream pre-existing movie and television shows.This includes several prominent projects within the fantasy genre, chasing success of titles likeStranger ThingsandDamsel, both of which number among the most-watched titles of all time on the platform. Other popular homegrown fantasy franchises on Netflix includeThe Witcheruniverse(based on the book series of the same name by Andrzej Sapkowski),The Sandman(adapted from the DC comic of the same name written by Neil Gaiman), and more.
Netflix Now Owns The Rights To Callie Hart’s Quicksilver
A New Adaptation OfQuicksilverCan Be Expected
Netflix has bought the rights to a new modern epic fantasy book, Callie Hart’sQuicksilver. The novel, which is the first in theFae & Alchemytrilogy, went viral on BookTok after it was published in June 2024, garnering 3 million views in the first two months through mentions alone, partially due to the fact that it blends romance with fantasy elements, a popular subgenre that has recently become widely referred to as “romantasy.” Written by the same author behindBlood & RoseandDirty Nasty Freaks, theromantasy bookclimbed toNo.1 on Amazon’s bestseller chartafter its debut.
Major successes that helped spur the romantasy trend are theFourth Wingnovels by Rebecca Yarros and theA Court of Thorns and Rosesseries by Sarah J. Maas.
Now, according toDeadline,Netflix has won the rights to Callie Hart’sQuicksilver,in an auction brokered by WME. The deal is said to be in the seven-figure range. While it is not clear whether the streamer plans to adapt the book as a movie or a series, Hart is set to executive produce the new project with Elizabeth Cantillon serving as producer for The Cantillon Company. Cantillon’s recent work includes producing adaptations of Jane Austen’sPersuasion(which premiered on Netflix in 2022) and David Lagercrantz’sThe Girl in the Spider’s Web. Read the official synopsis of the novel below:
Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen’s reservoirs for as long as she can remember. But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone.
When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently reopens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares… but it turns out they’re real, and Saeris has landed herself right in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed.
The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist’s magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him… or her.
Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he’s the only way Saeris is going to make it home.
What Netflix Owning the Rights To Quicksilver Means
Quicksilver Fits Right Into Netflix’s Fantasy Collection
With elements including traveling between realms, featuring characters like Death (who appears in an entirely different form as played by Kirby inThe Sandman), and a supernaturally-driven enemies-to-lovers romance arc,Quicksilveralready sounds like it could be Netflix’s nexthit fantasy series.It has quite a bit in common with many of their most popular works, including featuring the opportunity to cast a leading man who is either already a widely popular onscreen crush (like Henry Cavill inthe Witcher) or someone who Netflix can develop into one (as they have done with bothStranger ThingsandShadow and Bone).
Shadow and Bone: Complete Cast and Character Guide
Netflix fantasy series Shadow and Bone stars Jessie Mei Li, Ben Barnes and Archie Renaux. Here’s a complete guide to the cast and characters.
GivenNetflix’s track record of producing top fantasy series, it isvery likely that the book will be adapted into a television series, especially considering the fact thatQuicksilveris only the first book in theFae & Alchemytrilogy, with the second set to be released in Fall 2025. While at the time of writing it seems that Netflix has only acquired the rights to the first book, the platform tends to develop properties with potential franchising in mind, with successes across genres including theTo All The Boysyoung adult romance franchise and the crime drama universe ofNarcos.
Our Take On Netflix’s New Fantasy Acquisition
Quicksilver Could Be Perfect For The Platform
Another element ofFae & Alchemythat makes the romantasy property perfect for Netflix, should they opt to adapt the entire series, is the fact that it is so far set to be limited to a trilogy. While it could expand beyond that with sequels or spinoffs should the novel series become a massive hit alongside a potential adaptation, the fact thatthe current iteration of the story has a fixed endpointcould help Netflix avoid the same issues that have plagued other recent fantasy shows in their library.
The streamer… controversially cancelledShadow & Bonein 2023.
Netflix has a habit of ending shows after a run between three and five seasons, which can be limiting for series with more robust novel counts such asThe Witcher, which is set to end after season 5 (with Liam Hemsworth taking over the lead role from Henry Cavill as of season 4) even though there are nine novels in the original run. The streamer also controversiallycancelledShadow & Bonein 2023 after the Leigh Bardugo fantasy drama adaptation ran for just two seasons, even after commissioning scripts for a spinoff titledSix of Crows, which was also scrapped.
Reportedly, one major reason that Netflix ends even some of their most popular series after relatively short runs is the fact that talent both onscreen and behind the camera has more bargaining power as the shows continue.
WithQuicksilverin a good position to become aNetflixhit should it fully come to fruition and make its way to the screen, the trilogy’s natural endpoint means that it can at least most likely avoid being cancelled before its time. Whether a potential adaptation ofFae & Alchemybecomes a movie trilogy or a three-season series, either format could benefit from being complete, bothallowing audiences in the moment to have some measure of confidence in its continuationand making the adaptation solid binge material after it is completed.
Source:Deadline
Quicksilver
Saeris Fane, a 24-year-old thief with secret alchemical powers, accidentally opens a portal to Yvelia, a frozen realm inhabited by the Fae. There, she becomes bound to Kingfisher, a formidable Fae warrior with hidden motives. Together, they navigate a perilous world of magic and conflict, forging an uneasy alliance that challenges their perceptions of trust and destiny.
Netflix
Netflix is a global streaming service offering on-demand access to movies, TV shows, documentaries, and original content. Founded in 1997 as a DVD rental service, it transitioned to streaming in 2007 and now operates in over 190 countries.
