Mistborn
Beloved epic illusion source Brandon Sanderson has announced that , after long time of development , the film adaptation of hisMistbornseries has come to a halt , disappointing fans of bothMistbornand Sanderson ’s broader Cosmere multiverse . While it was clear that aMistbornmovie adaptation would front some challengeson the way to the big screen , the labor seemed to still be moving frontward until recently . With aperfectly cinematic hatchway scene inMistborn’sfirst book of account , it seemed like a natural fit for a film version .
The film adjustment of the underratedMistbornserieshad been in maturation for some time , which Sanderson had been as limpid about as he possibly could be over the years . Unfortunately , as the writer announced in his one-year " State of the Sanderson " blog spot on December 19 , 2024,the in - progressMistbornmovie project has add up to a finis , although Sanderson remains hopeful about the destiny of an eventual Cosmere movie labor .
The Mistborn Movie Is Back At “Square One” – Why It’s No Longer Happening
The Disappointing News Comes Amidst An Otherwise Celebratory Blog Post
Every twelvemonth , Brandon Sanderson free a web log Emily Post in December that details his progression on his people of projection , and this twelvemonth ’s give us a secretive look at how far theMistbornfilm adaptation make before it was latterly terminated . The heart of the way out isthe way that picture development process when trying to adapt an live franchise , and how that led toMistborn ’s important procession screeching to a arrest .
Mistborn Book
Release Year
Era
Mistborn : The Final Empire
2006
earned run average 1
Mistborn : The Well of Souls
2007
Mistborn : The Hero of Ages
2008
Mistborn : confidential History
2016
Mistborn : The admixture of Law
2011
Era 2
Mistborn : shadow of ego
2015
Mistborn : The Bands of Mourning
Mistborn : The Lost Metal
2017
Sanderson ’s blog break down the film development physical process in a loose series of steps , and say thatMistborngot moderately far along in the process beforestalling out due to a want of studio willing to move forward on the projectas it stood , and Sanderson ’s partners on the handwriting not wanting to go along put effort into a project with no backing . To quote Sanderson himself :
Mistborn : Is at Step Zero right now , though recently it generate as close as Step Six / Seven as a hot - activity film . ( It ’s cunning to point to where it stimulate because this project did a passel more internal growing than is common — so it had basically done all of Step Seven before going out to pitch to studio . It get offers of development deals from studio , but no production deal , and the partner I had did not require to go back to handwriting after all the work they did .
As the studio apartment did n’t require to do it the path the producer did , it break at the end of Step Six . If it had live as we wanted , we would have skipped Step Seven and Eight entirely , as the production deal would have included a greenlight . We then would have conk out straight to Step Nine — which was why I was so hopeful I could do an announcement for you . Alas , it did not happen . ( Yes , this means stars were confiscate . No , Henry C. was not one of them . Yes , you ’d recognize some of the names . No , I ca n’t tell them to you . )
That ’s everything , I ’m afraid . I ’ve said no to several pass on Cosmere properties over the last five age , as I was all - in on start out the Mistborn film made . Now that that has diminish through , I ’m back to square one , basically , on the Cosmere . ( viaBrandonSanderson.com )
footstep Six , Seven , Eight , and Nine , as he label them , describe the latter half of a task ’s lifespan . stair Six is the point when a product studio signs the contract bridge to begin work , Seven is the physical process of development within the studio ( possibly let in filming a cowcatcher ) , Eight is when the studio signs off on a project and funds it , and Step Nine is the literal filming of the movie or show . As Sanderson points out in his web log , these are n’t cut and dry , which is whyMistbornhad the voltage to vamoose a few whole step .
What ’s particularly interesting is the credit of a particular " Henry C.“in reference to actors who had been confiscate to the project . While it ’s improbable Sanderson will ever be able to clear up , this is almost certainly Henry Cavill . As arguably the most democratic fancast matter mightily now , the actor ’s name has seemed to start up in book of facts to every fantasy and sci - fi undertaking ever sinceCavill ’s expiration from Netflix’sThe Witcherwas announce in October 2022 .
The Mistborn Movie’s Cancelation Comes After More Than A Decade Of Uncertainty
Being Stuck In Development Hell For 14 Years Is Almost A Worse Fate Than The Pits Of Hathsin
TheMistbornfilm adaptation had a farsighted and difficult pre - production processbefore this proclamation was the last nail in its coffin . Initial tidings of aMistbornfilm come out in other 2010 , when production company Paloppa Pictures first optioned the series ' first ledger , Mistborn : The Final Empire . regrettably , Paloppa was unable to determine a studio apartment that was interested , and their option choke in 2014 .
2016 construe DMG entertainment choice most of the Cosmere , but specific progress on aMistbornfilm was dull , and Sanderson himself enjoin in 2019 that he would start work on the hand itself . In 2020 , DMG ’s choice choke , but in 2020 and 2021 ’s State of the Sanderson posts , Brandon repeatedly saidhe was still work out on theMistbornfilm in what he called a " manpower - on way . "
Mistborn’s Status Update Confirms A Harsh Reality For Fantasy Adaptations
No Matter How Much Fans Want Something, Film And TV Production Realities Are Harsh Mistresses
Mistbornisn’t alone in how it ’s struggled to find a major studiowilling to put in the effort to make for it to animation . Many other major genre literature series and franchises have been struggling to get adaptations off the dry land of late , such as the best - selling romantasy seriesA Court of Thorns and Rosesby Sarah J. Maas . While Hulu ’s adaptation of that attribute was announced in 2021 , there has been little seeable progress since , and the show was even rumored to have been scrapped in February 2024 , althoughEntertainment Weeklyand other issue report that Hulu is still working on it .
The harsh reality of the billet is that while there are uncountable grand fantasy Holy Writ series that deserve film and TV adaptation , streaming services and TV networks are strugglingright now as they contend for ratifier , and that leads to some fairly conservative conclusion - devising at the executive level . For everyGame of Thronesthat succeeds ( mostly ) , there ’s aShadow and Bonethat gets canceled after one or two season , despite having good reviews and a perfervid fanbase , to say nothing of undertaking like Warner Brothers’Batwomanthat were completed but never released so that the studios can use them as a revenue enhancement write - off .
Could A Mistborn Movie Still Happen?
It May Be Dead For Now, But Cosmere Fans Know That Death Is Only A Beginning
Sanderson ’s blog mail makes it clear thathe is still happily working to getMistbornon the big screenat some point . Fans will be mad to see elsewhere in the State of the Sanderson post that he has dress a timeline for the next epoch ofMistbornnovels , so clearly , the series is cardinal to his architectural plan to move the Cosmere forward , especially now that the first pentalogy ofThe Stormlight Archivehas concluded with the departure ofWind and Truth .
Mistborn Era 3 ’s release design means the books will in all likelihood derive out in fast sequence of one another , benefit any movie adaptations .
It may be that the first Cosmere project to get a film or TV adaptation wo n’t beMistborn , and we may instead see a live - action internal representation of a more standalone book likeElantrisorWarbreakerfirst ; or a studio apartment may decide to go all - in onThe Stormlight Archive . Regardless of however recollective it takes , though , it ’s well-defined that Brandon Sanderson has n’t given up on aMistbornfilm , and he may yet pull a miracle out of his pocket , just like Kelsier .
TheMistbornseries , make by Brandon Sanderson , is a mellow - phantasy saga set in the human beings of Scadrial , where illusion is powered by metal through a scheme called Allomancy . The series focus on political intrigue , heists , and the battle between unspoiled 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 , includingEra 2 , take place hundreds of years after the events of the original trilogy , expand the story into newfangled configurations with new character , all while maintaining connexion to the original storyline . Books : Mistborn : The Final Empire ( 2006)Mistborn : The Well of Ascension ( 2007)Mistborn : The Hero of Ages ( 2008)Mistborn : The metal of Law ( 2011)Mistborn : Shadows of Self ( 2015)Mistborn : The Bands of Mourning ( 2016)Mistborn : The Lost Metal ( 2022 )
