Brandon Sanderson’s ‘Cosmere’ universe secured by Apple TV for film and television adaptations
Sources say the deal followed a competitive process in which Sanderson met with several major studio heads
Apple TV has secured the screen rights to Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere literary universe in what has been described as an unprecedented deal for the bestselling fantasy author.
The agreement gives Apple TV access to the interconnected body of work that spans multiple novels and series, with the Mistborn books being developed as feature films and The Stormlight Archive targeted for television adaptation. Blue Marble, the production company run by former WME agent Theresa Kang, is attached as executive producer on The Stormlight Archive series.
Sources familiar with the deal say it followed a competitive process in which Sanderson met with several major studio heads. The agreement grants the author an unusually high degree of creative control over the adaptations.
Sanderson will act as the architect of the screen universe and will write, produce and consult across projects, with approval rights that exceed the level of involvement typically afforded to authors in major adaptations.
Sanderson’s commercial success and dedicated fan base were key factors in enabling such a deal. He has sold more than 50 million books worldwide across his various series and has built a highly engaged global readership. His popularity has translated into significant crowdfunding success, including nearly $100 million raised overall and a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign that generated almost $42 million for four novels.
The Cosmere spans multiple worlds and timelines, linked by an overarching mythology involving a powerful being named Adolnasium, whose death fractures its power into 16 shards that shape magic across the universe. Mistborn centres on metal-using magicians seeking to overthrow a tyrannical empire, while The Stormlight Archive begins with The Way of Kings, set in a world defined by magical storms, knights and creatures known as the Voidbringers.
Sanderson is represented by WME, JABberwocky Literary Agency and Matthew Sugarman of Weintraub Tobin.
