In a groundbreaking and truly historic move for fantasy adaptations, Apple TV+ has secured the sweeping rights to Brandon Sanderson’s vast Cosmere universe the shared world that connects beloved series including Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive, Warbreaker, Elantris, and beyond. The deal, announced January 27th, 2026, grants Sanderson an extraordinary degree of creative authority, making him the central architect of the screen versions. He will write, produce, consult, and hold approval rights which is a level of involvement that surpasses even what J.K. Rowling or George R.R. Martin secured for their signature franchises and is almost unheard of in Hollywood.
The agreement for Cosmere emerged from a fierce bidding war, with Sanderson personally sitting down with top studio executives across town. Insiders stated it was very rare terriorty to tread on, which is a testament to the author’s enormous commercial power and Apple’s bold strategy to dominate premium genre storytelling. The roadmap is already taking shape: the Mistborn saga is being positioned as a major feature-film franchise, while The Stormlight Archive is slated for a prestige television series. Blue Marble, the production banner headed by former WME agent Theresa Kang, is on board to executive produce the Stormlight adaptation.
Sanderson’s great track record made this kind of leverage possible. He’s sold more than 50 million copies worldwide across his books, with The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn consistently topping bestseller lists. His fanbase is famously devoted. Raking in nearly $100 million in crowdfunding, including the record-breaking $41.7 million Kickstarter in 2022 for four novels (still the largest publishing campaign in platform history). He also runs his own sold out annual convention, Dragonsteel Con, which returns December 3rd–5th, 2026, in Salt Lake City.
The Cosmere itself is a meticulously crafted shared universe. At its core lies the murder of a godlike being named Adonalsium, whose power shattered into 16 Shards carried across planets by the conspirators. Each world develops its own magic system tied to one or more Shards. Here are some of the magic systems. Allomancy (metal-burning) in Mistborn, Surgebinding (storm-powered oaths) in Stormlight, Awakening (animating objects) in Warbreaker which creates a web of interconnected stories where events on one planet ripple across others. Here is Sanderson's Youtube video where he explains the Cosmere.
The original Mistborn trilogy follows Vin, a street thief turned Allomancer, and Kelsier, a legendary rebel, as they plot to overthrow the immortal Lord Ruler and his Final Empire. The series has been optioned before (including a stalled MGM film in the 2010s), but Sanderson has been protective, waiting for the right partner. Stormlight, his magnum opus, unfolds on the storm ravaged world of Roshar, where Knights Radiant wield magical powers against the Voidbringers and ancient secrets. Its epic scope and length of five book arcs, massive casts, and intricate worldbuilding. This makes it a natural prestige TV candidate in the similar to Game of Thrones or The Wheel of Time.
Sanderson is currently represented by WME and attorney Matthew Sugarman at Weintraub Tobin. There has been no director, writers, or cast attached yet, and timelines for the projects remain fluid while development is in early stages. But the deal signals Apple’s intent to build a major fantasy franchise, much like their ongoing work on Foundation, Silo, and upcoming projects. For fans, it’s a huge step: the Cosmere’s long-teased cinematic future could finally arrive, with the author steering the ship in a way that we rarely ever get to see.
The announcement has lit up social media as it is flooded with excitement over potential Stormlight castings and debates about how Mistborn’s magic using metal system will play on screen. Sanderson’s own updates on his newsletter and YouTube channel have already teased “big things” ahead in his sly and non chalant way. With the Cosmere’s 20+ years of groundwork, this Apple deal could be the spark that turns one of fantasy’s most ambitious literary universes into a screen juggernaut.
What are your thoughts on the announcement? Do you think that the Cosmere universe will go big on the screen? Have you read any of his works yet? Let us know which series or character is your favorite and who you think would be the perfect actor or actress to portray them in the comments!
For fans interested, here is Sanderson's most recent weekly update. He keeps it pretty brief and is very sly about not over sharing too much while he has a lot of things going on behind the scenes as he always does.