The screen adaptation of Brandon Sanderson’sMistbornhas been a hot topic among fantasy fans since the initial announcement that Paloppa Pictures purchased the film rights in 2010. But since then, rights have lapsed and been acquired elsewhere, and the whole project has been paused. Although the struggles to adaptMistborn,a series offering some ofBrandson Sanderson’s best books,to film are somewhat vague, a clear challenge faces its transformation to screen: the representation of its magic system. One possible way to overcome this obstacle would be fortheMistbornmovieto embrace a rising trend in fantasy movies.
An increasing tendency in fantasy is to adapt or expand an author’s vision into animation.The Witcher: Sirens of the Deepis expected to be released in early 2025. Stephanie Meyer’sMidnight Sun, a retelling of theTwilightseries through the eyes of Edward Cullen, will come to life in late 2025 or 2026. George R.R. Martin’sGame of Thronesfranchise is expected to expand with three new animated series, not to mention the extension of Tolkien’s world with the release of the animeThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.
The Mistborn Movie’s Greatest Challenge Will Be Capturing Allomancy In Live-Action
Bringing Allomancy to Life: The Mistborn Movie’s Biggest Hurdle
Although there are countless hurdles facing a live-actionMistbornmovie adaptation, there is one that can be definitively addressed.Mistborn’s unique world and, specifically, its magical system make it what fans love. The capacity of select characters (named Allomancers) to obtain enhanced abilities by ingesting andburning specific Allomantic metals inMistbornwould be the greatest challenge for filmmakers to adapt to live-action.
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There are several enhanced attributes imbued to the Allomancer: pushing and pulling metals (akin to telekinesis), increasing their senses, enhancing their physical abilities, recognizing and hiding from other Allomancers, and manipulating the emotions of others.Realistically portraying these abilities would be very difficult in a live-action film.
A live-action portrayal of this could be found, but it would be expensive (given the costs of VFX) and may come across as visually grotesque.
Live-action best suits external activity, while animation can better show internal processes. At its core,Allomancy involves digesting and “burning” metals to obtain their distinct abilities.TheMistbornbooksoften describe characters burning, activating, and sensing the use of metals in their bodies. A live-action portrayal of this could be found, but it would be expensive (given the costs of VFX) and may come across as visually grotesque. And displaying internal strengthening and emotional manipulation lacks concrete imagery.
The main external power possessed by Allomancers (and the easiest to adapt to live-action) is their ability to launch themselves with nearby metals to “fly” through the air.However, the most exciting aspect of their flight is the constant pushing and pulling they mentally engage in, which would be difficult to portray. Some of these actions can be accomplished with VFX, but would come at a costly price that may not pay off.
Embracing The Fantasy Genre’s Animation Trend Could Solve Mistborn’s Biggest Problem
A Potential Solution for Mistborn’s Allomancy Challenge
If theMistbornadaptation were to be released as an animated film, it could solve these problems while simultaneously resolving other peripheral issues. Allomancy’s process of internally burning metals could adopt a more appropriate and conceptual representation, many of the Allomantic abilities would be abstractly and more routinely portrayed, and the frequency of flight through curling fog would have less an impact on the budget.
This solution toMistborn’s biggest problem in adapting to live-action also comes with other benefits. World creation is a complex act of creativity that extends outside our world.IfMistbornwere animated, its characters and environments would have the potential to be illustrated as near-perfect replicas.Subtle twists of fog and towering spires could be accurately and affordably reproduced. And although VFX continues to advance, there is always the risk that something could be “off” enough to shatter the illusion.
Mistborn’s Movie Adaptation Will Still Face Obstacles Adapting Brandon Sanderson’s Book
Other Challenges in Adapting Mistborn
Even ifMistbornwere adapted into an animated film, it would still face some genuine challenges.Firstly, animated features typically don’t perform as well as live-action releases, especially since a fully realized, live-action interpretation of a fantasy world comes with so much appeal.
Live-action also benefits from actors, who tend to portray and draw more emotion during their performances.
Regardless of whetherMistbornbecomes a live-action or animated film,there is also the task of fitting a storyline as dense asMistborninto a movie’s time constraints.Mistbornhas a dense and complex set of charactersthat would be challenging to fit into a single film, not to mention all the storylines it would entail. Even though the movie would likely just cover the first book, certain parts of the novel would likely have to be cut, which comes with its own set of risks.
Although it would face a few challenges,Mistborn’sadaptation to animation instead of live-action could help bring its settings, characters, and magical system to life, more closely resembling the mind and imagination of Sanderson and his reader. Budget constraints would be lessened, and the world would be more authentic.
