Fantasy has become an inseparable part of global popular culture today. During the first research period, our project devel­oped a “neo-medieval” frame­work to analyze how modern fantasy adapts medieval narra­tives and tropes. Now, we examine how this neo-medieval aesthetic evolves through trans­media story­telling and visual represen­tation.
Since the 2000s, fantasy increas­ingly thrives through inter­connected media franchises. Block­buster movies like The Lord of the Rings and hit series like House of the Dragon or The Witcher build on existing fantasy worlds and their popu­larity – creating what we call "second-order popu­lari­zation." We investi­gate the genre’s growing “medie­valism” through four key aspects:

1. Worldbuilding: How cohesive neo-medieval worlds are constructed across multiple media platforms;
2. Story Structures: How serial adventure formats from medieval litera­ture shape modern fantasy novels, films, and series;
3. Transmedia Expansion: How neo-medieval elements fuel the genre’s growth across different media;
4. Political Dimensions: How fantasy worlds are claimed as authentic and employed in cultural debates

Our research focuses on inter­nationally successful fantasy franchises, analyzed through the lens of neo-medie­valism studies.