Both Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive are being adapted by Apple TV, and while the upcoming fantasy projects are exciting, they face the same major issue that hurt Game of Thrones. Fortunately, it’s to a lesser degree — and they already have a much clearer fix. That’s a relief, as bringing Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere to the screen is going to be a massive undertaking, even with the author heavily involved. The jump from page to screen brings many challenges with it, and the massive scope of Sanderson’s universe will likely exacerbate some of them.
The scope will help with one glaring concern, however, hopefully preventing Apple’s on-screen universe from following in the footsteps of Game of Thrones‘ later seasons. While the HBO show remains one of the most influential fantasy series of all time — and there’s a lot the Sanderson adaptations can learn from it — there’s no denying it lost some of its spark as it continued. This can be attributed to one reality, and it’s one that Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive also face: running out of source material.
Mistborn & The Stormlight Archive Are Ongoing, Raising a Game of Thrones Problem All Over Again
The Way of Kings cover art by Michael Whelan
The biggest issue with Game of Thrones was that it passed George R.R. Martin’s books, leading the later seasons to drop in quality. The series was at its best when it was following the source material closely. However, things started to go off the rails around Season 5, when the HBO show really began to diverge from Martin’s books. As The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring aren’t published yet, the series didn’t have much of a choice. And that’s a concern for any project adapting unfinished material: will it run out of runway and lose sight of what made the original story great?
Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive face this same problem to some degree, as both larger sagas are still ongoing — meaning there’s the smallest chance that Apple’s adaptations could catch up to them. However, this seems incredibly unlikely, as the studio would need to get through many films and seasons of television for that to happen. And Sanderson’s stories have a fix if things do move that quickly.
Brandon Sanderson’s Fantasy Sagas Have Clearer Breaks Than A Song of Ice and Fire
Image courtesy of Tor Books/Macmillan
Although Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive are still going, just like A Song of Ice and Fire, the circumstances surrounding the series are different — and it makes the adaptations catching up far less of a concern. A Song of Ice and Fire is one continuous story that didn’t have a proper ending when Game of Thrones began (and still doesn’t to this day). Because of this, the showrunners needed to come up with their own take on what they knew about Martin’s ending, even if it meant changing parts of it.
By contrast, more Mistborn and Stormlight Archive books are planned, but they’ll be starting new stories. These sagas are comprised of multiple parts. Two of the series under Mistborn‘s umbrella are finished already, and Era 3 will jump forward in time, introducing a fresh plot and new characters. Likewise, the first arc of The Stormlight Archive is complete. So, on the off chance that the movies or shows catch up, there are places where these adaptations can pause without hurting the larger picture.
With time skips included and new characters taking the helm, there’s no concern about leaving things open-ended for too long or cast members aging. As long as they adapt the individual stories in close succession, it’ll be fine. (And they’re are plenty of other Cosmere books to adapt if they do need to take breaks!)
The Cosmere Already Has a Fix for Game of Thrones’ Biggest Problem
In addition to the Cosmere having structural advantages, there’s another fix that will ensure it doesn’t face Game of Thrones‘ biggest problem. Sanderson himself is far more involved in his on-screen universe. He’ll pen the screenplay for Mistborn and serve as co-showrunner for The Stormlight Archive. Per The Hollywood Reporter, he has more creative control than some of the biggest authors whose work is on-screen. With all of this in mind, Sanderson can tackle things the way he intends to, even if his books aren’t finished yet. And judging by his workflow and how much there is to adapt, there’s a good chance they will be before Apple catches up.
That’s where the author’s planning comes in handy, and it’s obvious that Sanderson is very on top of his writing schedule. One of his recent YouTube updates revealed that the first draft of Mistborn Era 3, Book 1 is already done. And although he’ll take a break to pen the screenplay, he assured fans that it shouldn’t impact his release timelines for Ghostbloods or the next leg of The Stormlight Archive too much (via YouTube). Given how quickly the author tends to turn things around, we’re inclined to believe him.
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