The success of sci-fi series such as For All Mankind, Severance, Foundation, Silo and Pluribus has clearly encouraged Apple TV to go big. The service has acquired the rights to the Cosmere universe, created by the acclaimed fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson.
The platform intends to adapt the Mistborn novels into features and to create a TV show based on The Stormlight Archive series. Unusually, Sanderson will have almost complete creative control over the upcoming adaptations – he will write, produce and consult on films and series, making them his pet project.
Apple perhaps wants to avoid the drop in quality that characterised later seasons of HBO’s Game of Thrones or Netflix’s The Witcher, which, without original author control, drifted badly from the source material. It’s excellent news for Sanderson’s fans, who are legion – the author’s books have sold over 50 million copies, and the fantasy convention he organises sells out every year.
Apple TV+ doesn’t have a significant share in the streaming market when compared to Netflix or Disney, but it’s made a name for itself as a home for ambitious series. Apparently, the platform’s management wants to uphold this quality while developing a franchise that could compete with Warner Bros’ Harry Potter, Amazon’s Rings of Power or Disney’s Star Wars.
At this point, very little is known about Apple’s forthcoming films and series. However, we’ll give you an overview of the Sanderson’s universe, so you can get a grip on what to expect from the Mistborn movies and The Stormlight Archive TV show.
What is The Cosmere?
The Cosmere is the name of a universe consisting of several planets. It’s the setting for many of Brandon Sanderson’s novels, which span various genres – in addition to high fantasy and urban fantasy, the writer also plans to write cyberpunk stories.
The basis of the Cosmere universe is a mysterious entity called Adonalsium, which once inhabited the world known as Yolen. However, a group of conspirators killed the creature, breaking its power into a dozen elements – the Shards. Each of them has an Intent, a purpose or will, such as Honour, Harmony or Odium. Conspirators, known as Vessels, shared the Shards and set off with them to new worlds, which they formed with the power of the artefacts.
The following works by Sanderson are set in the Cosmere universe:
- Elantris (2005), a novel
- Mistborn, a series of novels
- Warbreaker (2009), a novel
- The Stormlight Archive, a series of novels
- Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection (2016), a collection of short stories
- White Sand (2016-2019), a graphic novel series
- Tress of the Emerald Sea (2023), a novel
- Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (2023), a novel
- The Sunlit Man (2023), a novel
- Isles of the Emberdark (2025), a novel
What will the Mistborn film franchise be about?
Apple plans to develop several features based on Sanderson’s Mistborn, a series of novels set on the planet Scadrial in the Cosmere universe. For now, the novel series consists of two eras, although the author plans to create four in total.
ERA ONE
- The Final Empire (2006)
- The Well of Ascension (2007)
- The Hero of Ages (2008)
- Secret History (2016), novella
ERA TWO
- The Alloy of Law (2011)
- Shadows of Self (2015)
- The Bands of Mourning (2016)
- The Lost Metal (2022)
Dragonsteel Books
Scadrial is a dystopian world created by the power of two paired Shards of Adonalsium – Preservation and Ruin. The first embodies stability and prevents destructive acts, while the second seeks entropy, brings change and death. Combined, they create Harmony.
The planet, covered in a constant rain of ash, is home to the Final Empire, created a thousand years earlier by the divine Lord Ruler. In Scadrial, the dominant force is magic, which can be controlled through three systems based on metals: Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy.
The First Era novels, written in high fantasy style, chronicle the efforts of a crew of Allomancers to overthrow the tyrannical state.
The Second Era books, drawing on urban fantasy and steampunk, are set 300 years after the end of the first trilogy, in an era similar to the early 20th century. The novels follows the lawman Waxillium “Wax” Ladrian and his deputy Wayne as they try to crack down on a criminal organisation called The Set.
Dragonsteel Books
What will The Stormlight Archive series be about?
Besides the films, Apple is working on the TV show adaptation of Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive, a series of high fantasy novels set in the Cosmere universe on the planet Roshar.
The ongoing series currently consists of the following volumes:
- The Way of Kings (2010)
- Words of Radiance (2014)
- Edgedancer (2016), novella
- Oathbringer (2017)
- Dawnshard (2020), novella
- Rhythm of War (2020)
- Wind and Truth (2024)
- Horneater (2026), novella
The planet has one supercontinent, divided into three regions, with most of Roshar covered by ocean. The planet is known for its strong winds and storms, as well as its unique fauna and flora.
The novels in the series have a complex structure, presenting different points of view and containing numerous interludes. Each novel focuses on a different order of the Knights Radiant, a military organisation of magic.
Dragonsteel Books
When will the Mistborn films and The Stormlight Archive TV series premiere?
Apple hasn’t announced the release dates for its projects. However, given that these will be major undertakings, the films and series won’t premiere for a few years.
Transforming the extensive source material into a script will be a considerable challenge in itself. On top of that, creators must develop a coherent visual concept for the worlds of Scadrial and Roshar, followed by casting, costume and set design, and postproduction.
Who may star in the films and series?
No actors have been attached to Apple’s projects yet, as adaptations of the Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive series are still in the very early stages.
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