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Apple Signs Deal for Brandon Sanderson's 'Cosmere' Universe Movies and TV Shows

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Apple has signed a deal with popular fantasy author Brandon Sanderson for film and TV rights to Sanderson's "Cosmere" universe, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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Sanderson has a large body of work, but some of his most popular fantasy books could be adapted first. Mistborn could be turned into a movie series, while The Stormlight Archive is being considered for television. Mistborn is a book series that's split into two eras, with the first three books featuring a group of magic-using metal manipulators or "Allomancers" overthrowing a dystopian empire. The second set of books follows the exploits of Wax and Wayne, two lawmen with magical abilities in a more modern setting.

There are two additional eras planned for the same Mistborn series, so Apple has access to content that could result in a dozen movies.

The Stormlight Archive currently features five epic fantasy books, each of which could easily be used for multiple seasons of a TV show. The Stormlight Archive is a classic good vs. evil tale, featuring the Knights Radiant against Voidbringers who want to conquer the world.

Sanderson has 10 total books planned for The Stormlight Archive, but the "Cosmere" universe also includes many other standalone novels, all of which are linked together. Sanderson is one of the most well-known current fantasy authors, and in addition to his own books, he finished Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time after Jordan passed away.

A TV show based on the Stormlight Archive is already in the early stages of planning. Blue Marble, a film studio run by Pachinko producer Theresa Kang-Lowe, is set to produce. Kang-Lowe has an exclusive content production deal with Apple.

Apple won the deal after Sanderson met with multiple potential partners. Apple agreed to give Sanderson unprecedented control over screen translations, so he will write, produce, and consult on any TV shows or movies that Apple makes about the Cosmere universe. Sanderson is known for having some of the most popular Kickstarter campaigns to date, raising close to $100 million by selling his books.

Article Link: Apple Signs Deal for Brandon Sanderson's 'Cosmere' Universe Movies and TV Shows
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/01/28/apple-tv-brandon-sanderson-deal/
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This could be great . . . or horrible. They have to find show-runners/writers/actors who actually have read and like the source material. Otherwise . . . I think I know what will happen.
 
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I recently finished The Recokoners, and thought they would make for a punchy TV series for a young adult audience.

Looking forward to seeing what Apple produce here!
 
Sanderson was a part of Wheel of Time's TV show. He needs to have a strong showrunner and producer around to rein in his worst instincts. What works on the page doesn't always work on the screen. Different storytelling.
 
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WWP99 said:
Sanderson was a part of Wheel of Time's TV show. He needs to have a strong showrunner and producer around to rein in his worst instincts. What works on the page doesn't always work on the screen. Different storytelling.
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While it is true that books and television require different storytelling approaches, Sanderson served only as a consultant, offering feedback rather than holding the authority to make final decisions. He strongly advised the showrunner against some of the adaptation's most controversial choices -- such as the backstory change for Perrin [keeping this spoiler-free]. In this instance, the showrunner ignored this advice. The plot point became one of the most hated changes among critics and fans. Sanderson’s "instinct" was to avoid a cheap narrative shortcut, while the showrunner’s "instinct" was to add shock value. The showrunner won out, much to the chagrin of Sanderson and many viewers. Those in charge were free to ignore his suggestions, and they often did.

Many authors don't quite understand the changes that need to happen to bring books to screens. Sanderson does and publicly comments on this.
 
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Good to see. Apple is probably the best partner for his work. I've enjoyed many of his books, but The Stormlight Archive became a slog by the last book, and I never finished it (I may get back to it eventually). It became too much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe where everything has to be tied to everything else and it became too convoluted/complex and I've lost any emotional attachments to any of the characters.
 
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Jensend said:
Good to see. Apple is probably the best partner for his work. I've enjoyed many of his books, but The Stormlight Archive became a slog by the last book, and I never finished it (I may get back to it eventually). It became too much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe where everything has to be tied to everything else and it became too convoluted/complex and I've lost any emotional attachments to any of the characters.
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Yup. This pretty much sums up my experience w/ that series as well and it basically turned me off from reading other Sanderson books.

Personally, I think someone should purchase the rights to Christopher Ruocchio's Sun Eater series. He just released his 7th and final book and it is an amazing and unique story that would be well suited to an Apple, Netflix or HBO series.
 
tipoo said:
Pls Apple, pick up and finish The Wheel of Time Amazon cancelled, Brandon Sanderson also finished those
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I have zero expectations that Apple could do better… Amazon effed-up what could have been a great TV show, but they got the wrong show-runner and even worst writers. Instead of adapting the source material they decided to create a fan fiction full of same-sex relationships, diverse racial casting, and expanded secondary and tertiary characters that had nothing to do with the main plot, ignoring the actual protagonists of the series.
 
Never heard of this person. Sounds like another pre-teen fantasy series like Harry Potter, or that one up there in the northwest with vampires. Guess I'll wait to see it on ATV to find out what it's all about. Apple probably paid far too much, but teens are the ones that spend the money.
 
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