Brandon Sanderson Provides Update on Stormlight Archive TV Series Adaptation

Audiences remain hungry for fantasy television series, as proven by HBO’s multiple Game of Thrones prequels. Apple TV is adapting the work of fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson. Apple TV announced earlier this year that it is developing a Stormlight Archive series with Sanderson attached to write. Sanderson recently shared an update on the project.

Sanderson told Collider that the search for a showrunner is underway and that he has personally interviewed several candidates. Sanderson wants high-caliber talent for the role. Brandon Sanderson will write the series with a partner and serve as a producer. Brandon Sanderson holds final approval on projects due to his agreement with Apple for the rights to his Cosmere universe.

Sanderson envisions a grounded fantasy world rather than a setting that resembles a renaissance fair. Sanderson wants viewers to believe the story is real, noting that simple elements can pull an audience out of a television show. Achieving that realism requires a substantial budget. Amazon Prime’s Tolkien series The Rings of Power holds the record for the most expensive television series ever made.

An update on the Mistborn movie

Apple TV is also adapting the original Mistborn trilogy, beginning with 2006’s The Final Empire. While Sanderson needs a writing partner for The Stormlight Archive, he is handling Mistborn by himself. Sanderson completed the first draft of the script in August, though many drafts remain ahead.

Sanderson will also return to the Mistborn novels with Ghostbloods, which is scheduled for release in 2028 and will launch the third era of the series. Outside of Apple TV, Sanderson’s Skyward book is set to be adapted for television by the team behind Netflix’s live-action One Piece.

Source: Polygon