The Cosmere Series Is Heading to Apple TV. Is It the Next 'Game of Thrones'?

"For those of you unfamiliar with Sanderson's work, the fantasy writer is one of the most profitable and prolific names in the business outside of J.R.R. Tolkien ( The Lord of the Rings), Robert Jordan ( The Wheel of Time), George R. R. Martin ( A Song of Ice and Fire), and J.K. Rowling ( Harry Potter). His Cosmere series includes two dozen novels-and, unlike some of his contemporaries -he reportedly plans another dozen or so that are still to come."

"In 2023, Sanderson raised $41 million in an unprecedented Kickstarter campaign to self-release his next four novels. He boasted in an interview with Esquire that summer that he's proud of the fantasy empire he's built over the years. "George R. R. Martin has two assistants, and so did Robert Jordan. That's normal for writers at the top of their field," he said. "We have 64 people.""

"Apple is considering Mistborn for feature films, according to The Hollywood Reporter, followed by a TV series around The Stormlight Archive. Sanderson's deal with Apple TV is rather unprecedented, as the author is reportedly writing and producing the on-screen adaptations of his fictional universe. For context, George R. R. Martin and J.K. Rowling don't even have final approval on Game of Thrones episodes-as you can probably tell from Martin's angry rants-or HBO's upcoming Harry Potter TV series."

Apple TV acquired rights to Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere, including the Mistborn series and The Stormlight Archive, after a competitive bidding war. Sanderson has published about two dozen Cosmere novels and plans roughly a dozen more, placing him among the most prolific contemporary fantasy writers. In 2023 Sanderson raised $41 million via Kickstarter to self-release four novels and described his operation as a 64-person team. Mistborn is a magical heist set in a world covered by ash; Apple is reportedly considering feature films for Mistborn and a TV series for The Stormlight Archive. Sanderson will write and produce the screen adaptations, granting him uncommon creative control.

Read at Esquire