Hulu is developing a drama series based on Sheila Masterson's romantasy novel The Poison Daughter, with 20th Television as the studio and Masterson herself set to executive produce (Deadline). The project is currently looking for a writer — meaning no scripts exist yet and the series has no guarantee of reaching production.

The Poison Daughter is a dark enemies-to-lovers story in which every person the protagonist Harlow Carrenwell kisses dies — until she kisses Henry Havenwood, who survives and becomes her betrothed. According to an earlier cover-reveal feature in People magazine, Harlow is also a hunter of abusive men who becomes entwined with a target she cannot bring herself to kill (People). Romantasy — a portmanteau of romance and fantasy — has become one of publishing's fastest-growing commercial genres, and the adaptation pipeline reflects that.

Masterson self-published the novel in October 2025. It sold more than 250,000 copies and hit the USA Today Bestseller list three times before Slowburn acquired it in April 2026. British publisher Wayward (TxF) won a separate nine-publisher auction for UK rights that same month (The Bookseller). The hardcover and audiobook are set for publication in the U.S. and UK on 18 August 2026 — a 672-page hardcover priced at $32.00, with translations planned into 20 languages. Masterson is represented by CAA and Trellis Literary Management.

Hulu and 20th Television have been down this road before. The same partners previously teamed to adapt Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses as a drama series, a project that ultimately did not move forward. Not every romantasy title that enters development reaches screens.

The broader field is crowded. Prime Video has greenlit a series based on Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing. Sony Pictures Television is developing an adaptation of Jennifer L. Armentrout's From Blood and Ash. And Amazon MGM Studios has a film version of Devney Perry's Shield of Sparrows in the works. Masterson's other self-published works include Song of the Dark Wood, The Lost God series, and its standalone spinoff A Legacy of Stars — a backlist that could matter if The Poison Daughter lands as a series.

For now, the project sits at the earliest stage of television development. A writer attachment would be the next concrete step; a series order would come after that. Nothing has been filmed.