Apple TV is coming for fantasy’s crown with Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere

Apple TV is making a very loud move into fantasy, and it’s doing it by handing over the keys. The streaming service has closed an unprecedented deal to adapt Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere books, giving the author a level of creative control rarely seen in Hollywood.

The agreement covers Sanderson’s sprawling shared universe of novels, with early plans focusing on the Mistborn series as feature films and The Stormlight Archive as a long-form TV adaptation. Blue Marble Pictures, led by former WME agent Theresa Kang, is attached to executive-produce the television side of the project.

What makes the deal extraordinary isn’t just the scale of the world Apple is buying, it’s who’s in charge of it. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sanderson will act as the “architect of the universe”, writing, producing and consulting across projects, with approval power baked in. That’s a level of involvement that even J.K. Rowling and George R.R. Martin have never enjoyed with their screen adaptations.

The move follows a competitive bidding situation that reportedly saw Sanderson meeting with most of Hollywood’s major studios. Apple emerged victorious, seemingly convinced that fantasy’s next mega-franchise lies within the Cosmere, a universe spanning multiple worlds, magic systems and timelines, all linked by the shattering of a god-like being named Adonalsium into sixteen powerful shards.

If that sounds dense, it’s also hugely popular. Sanderson has sold more than 50 million books worldwide and commands one of the most loyal fan bases in modern fantasy. He’s raised close to $100 million through crowdfunding, including a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign for four novels that pulled in around $42 million, the most successful publishing project the platform has ever seen. He even headlines his own sold-out convention, Dragonsteel Nexus.

Apple’s ambition is clear. HBO has Game of Thrones. Prime Video has The Rings of Power. Netflix has The Witcher. Now Apple TV, already dominant in prestige sci-fi thanks to Foundation, Silo and Severance, is making its strongest play yet for the fantasy throne.

Whether Sanderson’s magic-fuelled universe becomes the genre’s next global obsession remains to be seen. But with Apple’s backing, and Sanderson firmly in control, fantasy fans might want to start clearing their watchlists now.

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