Alex Aster’s Starside already feels like a story made for the screen. Its deadly quests, magical lands, dangerous creatures and enemies-to-lovers romance would give a potential adaptation plenty to work with.
And Alex Aster has now spoken publicly about what she would want a Starside adaptation to look like.
There is one important distinction, though: a Starside TV series has not officially been announced. There is currently no confirmed studio, streaming service, cast or production date attached to the book.
What we do have is Aster’s own vision for a possible adaptation — including why she thinks Starside would work better as a TV series than a movie and who she could imagine playing Harlan Raker.
Is a Starside TV Series Confirmed?
No. As of August 2026, there is no officially confirmed Starside TV adaptation.
Alex Aster has discussed the possibility of adapting the book for the screen, but that is different from an adaptation being formally in development.
At the moment, there has been no announcement of a studio, network or streaming platform acquiring Starside, and no cast or production team has been revealed.
Alex Aster Already Has a Lightlark Movie in Development
Aster is no stranger to book adaptations. Her bestselling Lightlark series is already being developed as a feature film, with Universal Pictures and Temple Hill Entertainment attached to the project. Aster is also involved as an executive producer.
The Lightlark movie is still in pre-production, with no cast or release date announced yet. That does not mean Starside is automatically next, but it does show that Aster already has an established relationship with the screen-adaptation process.
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Alex Aster Thinks Starside Should Be a TV Series
If Starside does make it to the screen, Aster already has a preferred format.
She has said that she believes the story would work better as a TV series because of the amount of plot, characters and different lands involved.
That makes sense for a story built around Aris’s journey through Starside.
The novel follows Aris as she leaves Stormside and enters the magical realm of Starside to compete in a deadly quest. Along the way, she travels through different environments, encounters dangerous creatures and immortals, and is forced into an uneasy alliance with Harlan Raker.
Trying to compress all of that into a single movie could require major cuts. A television format would give the story more space to develop its world, relationships and twists.
Who Could Play Aris in Starside?
Aster does not appear to have a famous actress in mind for Aris. Instead, she has said that she would prefer a new face for the role. That would allow viewers to discover Aris without immediately associating the character with an already established actress. For now, however, there is no official casting process underway.
Could Jacob Elordi Play Harlan Raker?
One much more recognizable name has already come up in connection with Raker: Jacob Elordi. Aster has said that her agent suggested Elordi while reading Starside, and she could immediately see the comparison. His height and brooding screen presence are obvious reasons fans could picture him as Raker. That does not mean Jacob Elordi has been cast, approached or attached to a Starside project. For now, it is simply dream casting.
Why Starside Would Work Well on Screen
Even without a confirmed adaptation, Starside has several elements that could translate naturally to television. The book combines a deadly competition with a journey through a large fantasy world, while the relationship between Aris and Raker develops from genuine hostility into something much more complicated. The visual possibilities are also significant: the gates between Stormside and Starside, magical swords, dragons, immortals, dangerous creatures and the different regions encountered during the quest could give a series a very distinct fantasy identity. At the same time, Aris and Raker’s relationship gives the story a strong emotional core that could carry a longer-form adaptation.
Stormside
The story continues in the next book in Alex Aster’s Starside series.
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Has a Studio or Streaming Service Been Announced?
No. There is currently no confirmed studio, production company, network or streaming service attached to Starside. That is why it is important to distinguish between Aster talking about a possible adaptation and an adaptation actually being announced.
Right now, Starside is still in the “this could happen” stage rather than the “this is officially in development” stage.
When Could a Starside TV Series Be Released?
There is currently no release date because a Starside television series has not been officially announced. Even if adaptation rights were announced soon, fantasy projects can spend years in development before filming begins. Scripts, financing, casting, production design and visual effects would all need to come together first. Any potential release window would therefore be pure speculation at this point.
Will Starside Actually Be Adapted?
It is too early to know.
Aster is clearly open to the idea, and she has already thought about the format and casting she would prefer. That makes a future Starside adaptation feel entirely plausible.
But until Aster, her representatives, a studio or a publisher announces that the screen rights have been acquired or that a project is officially in development, Starside remains a possible adaptation rather than a confirmed one.
We’ll update this page if an adaptation, studio, cast or release date is officially announced.
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