It’s only been about two months since it was announced that Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe would be coming to Apple TV, but you wouldn’t think so based on the author’s recent update on the first screenplay. Sanderson noted in his weekly update on YouTube that he’s already 50% done writing the first Mistborn movie.
“Had some good feedback from chatting with the studio and things like that with Apple about what they’re expecting,” Sanderson said about his progress, “They haven’t read it yet, but I’m feeling really good about how this is going.”
Sanderson has been seemingly making lightning-fast progress on the screenplay, which isn’t surprising considering his reputation as one of the most prolific fantasy authors on the planet. He has even found time to launch a massive crowdfunding campaign for a set of storybooks last month while making this major progress on his Apple TV adaptation.
As for what to expect from said screenplay, Apple has reportedly given Sanderson a ton of creative control over these projects, which is great news for fans looking for a faithful adaption of the Mistborn trilogy. During a recent episode of his podcast, Intentionally Blank, he wants to “use the James Gun model” for these movies. According to Sanderson, this would mean “fantastic script, no re-shoots.”
While the Apple TV collaboration is still fairly fresh, Sanderson has been thinking about an adaptation for quite some time. He mentioned back in February that the reason its taken so long is because he was “looking for a partner, not somebody just to sell things off to”. This type of mindset is what led to some of his successful crowdfunded tabletop adaptations like the Mistborn Deckbuilding Game and the Cosmere RPG. He has a very specific vision for this universe he created and knows he’s the best person to bring it to life in other media.
“I’ve always noticed that certain adaptations that tried too hard to be beat by beat what the book was doing ended up failing,” Sanderson said in recent YouTube FAQ about why some adaptations fail. He went on to talk about the success of the Harry Potter films, saying: “Movie three is when they get real good. And that’s when they had to adapt. That’s when they had to say ‘we can’t fit everything in the book into the film, so let’s take one concept of the book and make that central and tell a good story'”.
We don’t yet have any sort of release window for the Mistborn movie, so it’s likely still a long way off despite the screenplay progress. For the most recent updates on all of Brandon Sanderson projects, you can check out his official website where you’ll find progress bars for everything.
Jacob Kienlen is a Senior Audience Development Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor’s degree in communication and 10 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different pop culture topics — from TV series to books and the latest Pokémon games.
