Prime Video’s New Fantasy Push
Prime Video is positioning a new dark fantasy epic — covered as the platform’s next 'fantasy event of the decade' and discussed alongside titles like 'Dune: Prophecy' — to replace the gap left by 'Wheel of Time.' That move shows streamers still bet big on genre TV, which matters if you track which books might be eyed for high‑budget adaptations next. (cbr.com)
Amazon is not just swapping one fantasy title for another. It is shifting from a very expensive live-action book adaptation that ended unfinished to a project that can be built more deliberately from the start. On March 24, 2026, Variety reported that Amazon MGM Studios put *Monstress* into development as an adult animated series for Prime Video, with Steven Maeda — a co-creator and former showrunner of Netflix’s *One Piece* — attached alongside Tiffany Greshler. (variety.com) That matters because *The Wheel of Time* was canceled on May 23, 2025, a little over a month after its third-season finale, leaving Prime Video with one less large-scale fantasy world in active rotation. Deadline reported that the cancellation came after long deliberations and was driven by finances rather than a creative collapse, which helps explain why Amazon would still want another fantasy brand, just in a different format. (deadline.com) *Monstress* is not a safe, broad-family play. The source material is an award-winning Image Comics series by writer Marjorie Liu and artist Sana Takeda, set in an Asian-inspired world shaped by war, racism, and body horror — horror built around grotesque physical transformation. Variety’s description says the story follows a young woman with “a literal monster living inside of her,” which signals a darker tone than Prime Video’s previous mainstream fantasy bets. (variety.com) The format is part of the strategy. An adult animated series means animation made for older audiences rather than children, and for a property like *Monstress* that allows the service to keep the scale, monsters, and ornate world design without carrying the same production burden as a live-action effects-heavy show. The creative team also ties the project to a recent streaming success: Maeda helped lead Netflix’s live-action *One Piece*, one of the clearest examples that a once-risky fantasy adaptation can break through if the tone and worldbuilding land. (variety.com) This also fits a broader Prime Video pattern rather than a one-off replacement move. Amazon still has *The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power* as its giant live-action fantasy anchor, and its adaptation of Rebecca Yarros’ *Fourth Wing* remains in development; in September 2025, *The Hollywood Reporter* said Meredith Averill had come aboard as showrunner, replacing Moira Walley-Beckett. That makes *Monstress* look less like a backup plan and more like a second lane: prestige live-action fantasy on one side, stylized adult animation on the other. (hollywoodreporter.com) The comparison to *Dune: Prophecy* is really about how streamers now want fantasy and science-fiction worlds that feel collectible: settings with deep lore, recognizable creators, and room for multiple seasons or spin-offs. HBO Max has already renewed *Dune: Prophecy* for a second season, while Amazon is assembling its next wave with *Monstress* and *Fourth Wing*, which suggests the competition is no longer just “find the next *Game of Thrones*.” It is “own several different kinds of fandom at once.” (hbomax.com)
