Apple TV may have found its Game of Thrones

Amazing news for sci-fi/fantasy fans, Apple TV has reached a major deal for the rights to Brandon Sanderson’s books set in his ‘Cosmere’ universe.

The deal should see a TV series and movie as the first fruit.

If you’re a fan, it’s far too soon to get terribly excited about the news – we can’t expect to see the movie for years – but if Apple can capture the addictive nature and complex realities that drive Sanderson’s work it could have a Game of Thrones style hit on its hands. It’s that, with a spice of Vikings and some of the mesmerising nature of Wheel of Time, the series Amazon criminally and cruelly refused to finalize.

Mistborn movie, Stormlight for TV

The deal was reported by Hollywood Reporter and Sanderson’s agent and will see the author’s Mistborn series adapted for film while the Stormlight Archive series should turn into a TV show.

Apple has a lot of scope to build something epic here, as Stormlight extended across ten novels. The author has also been hired in as part of the deal, meaning he’ll write, produce, consult and approve the series.

Why it matters

• Sanderson’s books have sold more than 50 million copies across 35 million languages.
• The Mistborn trilogy hit 17 million sales on its own account (I’m one of them, which is why I’m truly looking forward to the shows, particularly as it was deemed one of the best fantasy novels of all time).
• The Stormlight Archive was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Series in 2025.

If Apple gets it right, and one thing you can say about Apple TV is that it usually does, then these forthcoming adaptions should be epic. I can’t wait!

Here’s an Amazon link to his books, which you may want to read if you like fantasy and haven’t read them yet.

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