Fantasy in the 21st century

Fantasy as a mainstream, popular genre

Where the fantasy genre will go in the 21st century still remains to be seen. So far, however, it has become immensely popular. What used to be a niche genre has now become an established one, appealing to both children, adults, men, and women. 

Also, fantasy no longer just includes books; the genre has spread to other media types, such as movies, TV series, and video games. Below, we outline some of the tendencies of the period which have emerged so far.

Screen adaptations of the classics

In the first part of the 21st century, fantasy was especially made mainstream by the many film and TV series adaptations of popular works. These meant that the genre could reach a much wider audience. 

Two movie series in particular helped kickstart this trend: Harry Potter (2001-2011) and The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003). Both series set new standards for visual effects, such as the creation of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings. Other examples of movie adaptations included The Chronicles of Narnia (2005-2010) and The Golden Compass (2007). In 2012-2014, three movies based on Tolkien’s book The Hobbit were released. 

However, as streaming providers like Netflix and HBO eme...