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A Mistborn Adaptation Is Unlikely Now, But The Books Give It 1 Advantage Over Streaming's Other Fantasy Shows
Brandon Sanderson’s epic Mistborn would make an amazing fantasy TV or movie, especially when considered alongside the other fantasy offerings out there. The range of inspiring and powerful Mistborn characters made fans desperate for an adaptation, and excited when a movie was declared to be in the works. This was sadly canceled, reportedly due, in part, to creative differences between Brandon Sanderson and the movie’s various creators and stakeholders. But an adaptation would beat many other fantasy TV shows and movies, so it still deserves to be considered.
Every Mistborn book demonstrates why Sanderson is the king of fantasy in this day and age, much the same as how J.R.R. Tolkien was the founding father of high fantasy and the pinnacle of the genre in his time. Since the cancelation of the Mistborn movie is so recent, an adaptation is unlikely to happen for a long time, if at all. But the originality that Sanderson brings to fantasy is what sets it apart from other fantasy being circulated on streamers and at the cinema. Mistborn could avoid the pitfalls of modern fantasy TV in a few ways.
Brandon Sanderson Is Right About Modern Fantasy Shows, But Mistborn Has An Advantage
Brandon Sanderson Commented On Fantasy Being Lackluster
American author Brandon Sanderson commented that the kind of fantasy productions being made today are lacking, but his Mistborn books would give an adaptation an advantage over other fantasy shows. Sanderson confided to Polygon that “Streaming has had a big problem with epic fantasy.” This is interesting to note, as Sanderson makes a good point in many ways. His insight should be a green flag to studios looking for their next big fantasy production, proving that Mistborn could stand a chance of surpassing most popular fantasy outings of the last five years.
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Sanderson cited problems with changes in the industry as likely causes of the problems with recent high fantasy. He mentioned the possibility of there being some kind of holdover from network TV, whereby studios making contemporary fantasy TV shows feel the need to ensure that their productions have an episodic nature and feel. If Sanderson is right, this commitment to episodic TV could be what makes a lot of fantasy quite same, considering that it must rely on recognizable tropes in order for each episode to be appealing in its own right.
How Mistborn’s Settings Set It Apart From Other High Fantasy Offerings
Mistborn Is A Unique Fantasy Series
Mistborn has quite different settings to most other popular high fantasy books. Brandon Sanderson commented on issues with Amazon Prime Video’s high fantasy, including The Wheel of Time and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Both of these shows share quite similar worlds, being founded in Tolkien’s original concept of high fantasy. Although The Wheel of Time is not based on The Lord of the Rings, while The Rings of Power is, they both still adopt a medieval-inspired euro-centric world with fairytale creatures of both good and evil. Mistborn isn’t quite the same.
Mistborn switches genres to a certain extent.
Mistborn is separated into different eras, much like LotR has different ages. But while The Lord of the Rings remains in Arda the whole time and sticks to the high fantasy genre, carving it out in the first place, Mistborn switches genres to a certain extent. Mistborn’s era one is high fantasy with a distinctly dystopian feel, giving it a science fiction atmosphere in places and a darkness perfectly suited to streaming. Meanwhile, era two has a western element, leaning into steampunk culture at times. As such, it’s a big shame that the Mistborn movie is no longer happening.
Mistborn Could Be Exactly What The Modern Fantasy Landscape Needs
High Fantasy Is In Need Of A Boost
With its diverse locations and storylines, Mistborn could provide the boost that contemporary high fantasy needs on screen. The Mistborn movie’s most likely replacement could still impress Sanderson and fantasy fans alike, but may not be enough to elevate the whole genre and take it to a new level, as Sanderson seems to want. This book, Tress of the Emerald Sea, would make a great movie but wouldn’t quite capture the diversity of Mistborn. Perhaps Mistborn’s wide range and newness could start creating truly pioneering and meaningful on-screen fantasy.
Mistborn: The Final Empire was the first published Mistborn novel, released in 2006.
The author commented that “Rings of Power and Wheel of Time have not gone as well as I would’ve hoped,” suggesting that Sanderson believes streamers haven’t cracked the right formula for high fantasy. Perhaps it is the episodic nature of studios’ approach to fantasy that is creating any problems with viewership, but either way, Sanderson aptly pointed out that the formulaic fantasy being peddled is failing to break seriously new ground. As such, the stark originality of his Mistborn novels could be the answer to streamers’ problems, providing something new for fantasy fans to get their teeth into.
A Mistborn adaptation could be faithful, original, and contemporary all at the same time.
While it is true that division into episodes and seasons occasionally seemed disruptive to the plots of both The Wheel of Time and The Rings of Power, both shows notably struggled with faithfulness. This led to a lot of the audience critiques received. The Rings of Power, in particular, had to adapt an archaic tone, world, and story into a contemporary show with appeal to modern audiences. It added some intriguing original material in order to do this, which sacrificed faithfulness. Meanwhile, a Mistborn adaptation could be faithful, original, and contemporary all at the same time.
Source: Polygon
The Mistborn series, created by Brandon Sanderson, is a high-fantasy saga set in the world of Scadrial, where magic is powered by metals through a system called Allomancy. The series focuses on political intrigue, heists, and the battle between good and evil. The first trilogy, Mistborn: The Final Empire, follows the struggle to overthrow a tyrannical ruler, the Lord Ruler. Later books in the series, including Era 2, take place hundreds of years after the events of the original trilogy, expanding the story into new settings with new characters, all while maintaining connections to the original storyline.
Books:
Mistborn: The Final Empire (2006)
Mistborn: The Well of Ascension (2007)
Mistborn: The Hero of Ages (2008)
Mistborn: The Alloy of Law (2011)
Mistborn: Shadows of Self (2015)
Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning (2016)
Mistborn: The Lost Metal (2022)
- Character(s)
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Vin, Kelsier, Sazed, Marsh, Elend Venture, Waxillium “Wax” Ladrian, Wayne, Steris Harms
Summary
The Mistborn series, created by Brandon Sanderson, is a high-fantasy saga set in the world of Scadrial, where magic is powered by metals through a system called Allomancy. The series focuses on political intrigue, heists, and the battle between good and evil. The first trilogy, Mistborn: The Final Empire, follows the struggle to overthrow a tyrannical ruler, the Lord Ruler. Later books in the series, including Era 2, take place hundreds of years after the events of the original trilogy, expanding the story into new settings with new characters, all while maintaining connections to the original storyline.
