Apple has signed a deal with popular fantasy author Brandon Sanderson for film and TV rights to Sanderson’s “Cosmere” universe, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Sanderson has a large body of work, but some of his most popular fantasy books could be adapted first. Mistborn could be turned into a movie series, while The Stormlight Archive is being considered for television. Mistborn is a book series that’s split into two eras, with the first three books featuring a group of magic-using metal manipulators or “Allomancers” overthrowing a dystopian empire. The second set of books follows the exploits of Wax and Wayne, two lawmen with magical abilities in a more modern setting.
There are two additional eras planned for the same Mistborn series, so Apple has access to content that could result in a dozen movies.
The Stormlight Archive currently features five epic fantasy books, each of which could easily be used for multiple seasons of a TV show. The Stormlight Archive is a classic good vs. evil tale, featuring the Knights Radiant against Voidbringers who want to conquer the world.
Sanderson has 10 total books planned for The Stormlight Archive, but the “Cosmere” universe also includes many other standalone novels, all of which are linked together. Sanderson is one of the most well-known current fantasy authors, and in addition to his own books, he finished Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time after Jordan passed away.
A TV show based on the Stormlight Archive is already in the early stages of planning. Blue Marble, a film studio run by Pachinko producer Theresa Kang-Lowe, is set to produce. Kang-Lowe has an exclusive content production deal with Apple.
Apple won the deal after Sanderson met with multiple potential partners. Apple agreed to give Sanderson unprecedented control over screen translations, so he will write, produce, and consult on any TV shows or movies that Apple makes about the Cosmere universe. Sanderson is known for having some of the most popular Kickstarter campaigns to date, raising close to $100 million by selling his books.