Fantasy series are now as common as sand on the beach. Every year, well-known works are adapted or existing series are continued. Often, these series fail to meet fans’ expectations. A fantasy author explains why.
Which author is being discussed? Brandon Sanderson is a well-known fantasy author, whose biggest project is probably Stormlight Archive. This is planned to be a 10-part series that started in 2010 with The Way of Kings. Additionally, he is the author of the Mistborn trilogy and is also involved in the e-sports of LoL.
After the death of Robert Jordan, he completed his Wheel of Time series, which now also has a series on Amazon Prime. Sanderson’s works have not yet been adapted, but it is in progress. In a recent interview, the fantasy author also revealed why such series can be disappointing.
An endless budget is no guarantee for a good adaptation either
What does Sanderson say? In an interview with Polygon, the author talks about possible adaptations and the current state he is in. Several of his works seem to be in production right now, but each at different stages.
He is asked what the reason is that he now believes the time is right for adaptations. Sanderson simply responds that he has no idea. He believes the streaming market has not been stable enough for fantasy series so far. He uses The Rings of Power and The Wheel of Time as examples. These series have not performed as well as he had hoped.
For him, there have been no great fantasy series since the first and middle seasons of Game of Thrones. Later in the interview, he also criticizes The Witcher and explains why an endless budget is not a guarantee for a good series:
I mean, The Rings of Power had that essentially, and it’s not very good. It’s okay, but is it what you want? I mean, I think the most important member is the visionary filmmaker. Epic fantasy has reacted poorly to too much oversight from above. I believe that was the problem with The Witcher. They had this visionary: It was Henry Cavill. And they didn’t want to listen to him.
Brandon Sanderson on fantasy adaptations (source: Polygon)
By now, Henry Cavill is out of the project. The role of Geralt is now taken over by Liam Hemsworth.
As a positive, modern
example, he names Arcane. He finds it to be a fantastic series. However, creating such a series is incredibly expensive, and without a major brand like League of Legends, it is hard to produce something like that.
Sanderson’s works are also to be adapted
Which works by Sanderson are currently being adapted? On his official blog, he explains what 10 steps there are before an adaptation is published. In this context, he also states which of his works are currently being adapted:
- Snapshot is currently in development as a series; he says the series is at step 7, which he calls
studio development.
- Tress of the Emerald Sea was pitched in 2024 and they are likely in talks about a TV series. However, he notes it is only step 2,
interest.
This is the step where major studios consider snatching up the rights. - His Mistborn trilogy is basically at step 0, although it has made it to step 6 as a live-action film. He was close to having a studio for the production, but that ultimately fell through.
However, he would prefer to adapt his grand epic, The Stormlight Archive, into films. He believes that epic fantasy is not suited to function as a dual-screen experience (i.e., watching at home on your TV while also being on your phone or tablet). In addition to Warhammer, Henry Cavill has another project: Henry Cavill is not only doing Warhammer 40k – he is also filming a movie for another nerd project
