Beloved epic fantasy author Brandon Sanderson has announced that, after years 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 face some challengeson the way to the big screen, the project seemed to still be moving forward until recently. With aperfectly cinematic opening scene inMistborn’sfirst book, it seemed like a natural fit for a film adaptation.
The movie adaptation of the underratedMistbornserieshad been in development for some time, which Sanderson had been as transparent about as he possibly could be over the years. Unfortunately, as the author announced in his annual “State of the Sanderson” blog post on June 11, 2025,the in-progressMistbornmovie project has come to a close, although Sanderson remains hopeful about the fate of an eventual Cosmere movie project.
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 year, Brandon Sanderson releases a blog post in December that details his progress on his multitude of projects, and this year’s gave us a close look at how far theMistbornfilm adaptation got before it was recently terminated. The core of the issue isthe way that film development works when trying to adapt an existing franchise, and how that led toMistborn’s significant progress screeching to a halt.
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Sanderson’s blog breaks down the film development process in a loose series of steps, and says thatMistborngot fairly far along in the process beforestalling out due to a lack of studios willing to move forward on the projectas it stood, and Sanderson’s partners on the script not wanting to continue putting effort into a project with no backing. To quote Sanderson himself:
Mistborn: Is at Step Zero right now, though recently it got as close as Step Six/Seven as a live-action film. (It’s tricky to point to where it got because this project did a lot more internal development than is usual—so it had basically done all of Step Seven before going out to pitch to studios. It got offers of development deals from studios, but no production deal, and the partners I had did not want to go back to script after all the work they did.
As the studio didn’t want to do it the way the producers did, it died at the end of Step Six. If it had gone 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 gone 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 attached. No, Henry C. was not one of them. Yes, you’d recognize some of the names. No, I can’t tell them to you.)
That’s everything, I’m afraid. I’ve said no to several offers on Cosmere properties over the last five years, as I was all-in on getting the Mistborn film made. Now that that has fallen through, I’m back to square one, basically, on the Cosmere. (viaBrandonSanderson.com)
Steps Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine, as he labels them, describe the latter half of a project’s lifespan. Step Six is the point when a production studio signs the contract to begin work, Seven is the process of development within the studio (possibly including filming a pilot), Eight is when the studio signs off on a project and funds it, and Step Nine is the actual filming of the movie or show. As Sanderson points out in his blog, these aren’t cut and dry, which is whyMistbornhad the potential to skip a few steps.
What’s particularly interesting is the mention of a particular “Henry C.“in reference to actors who had been attached to the project. While it’s unlikely Sanderson will ever be able to clarify, this is almost certainly Henry Cavill. As arguably the most popular fancast subject right now, the actor’s name has seemed to pop up in reference to every fantasy and sci-fi project ever sinceCavill’s departure from Netflix’sThe Witcherwas announced 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 long and difficult pre-production processbefore this announcement was the final nail in its coffin. Initial news of aMistbornfilm surfaced in early 2010, when production company Paloppa Pictures first optioned the series' first book,Mistborn: The Final Empire. Unfortunately, Paloppa was unable to find a studio that was interested, and their option expired in 2014.
2016 saw DMG entertainment option most of the Cosmere, but specific progress on aMistbornfilm was slow, and Sanderson himself said in 2019 that he would start working on the script itself. In 2020, DMG’s option expired, but in 2020 and 2021’s State of the Sanderson posts, Brandon repeatedly saidhe was still working on theMistbornfilm in what he called a “hands-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 bring it to life.Many other major genre literature series and franchises have been struggling to get adaptations off the ground recently, such as the best-selling romantasy seriesA Court of Thorns and Rosesby Sarah J. Maas. While Hulu’s adaptation of that property was announced in 2021, there has been little visible progress since, and the show was even rumored to have been scrapped in February 2024, althoughEntertainment Weeklyand other publications report that Hulu is still working on it.
Could A Mistborn Movie Still Happen?
Sanderson’s blog post makes it clear thathe is still happily working to getMistbornon the big screenat some point. Fans will be excited to see elsewhere in the State of the Sanderson post that he has set a timeline for the next era ofMistbornnovels, so clearly, the series is central to his plans to move the Cosmere forward, especially now that the first pentalogy ofThe Stormlight Archivehas concluded with the release ofWind and Truth.
Mistborn Era 3’s Release Plan Benefits A Movie But It Won’t Matter For At Least 10 Years
Mistborn Era 3’s release plan means the books will likely come out in quick succession of one another, benefiting any movie adaptations.
It may be that the first Cosmere project to get a film or TV adaptation won’t beMistborn, and we may instead see a live-action representation of a more standalone book likeElantrisorWarbreakerfirst; or a studio may decide to go all-in onThe Stormlight Archive. Regardless of however long it takes, though, it’s clear that Brandon Sanderson hasn’t given up on aMistbornfilm, and he may yet pull a miracle out of his pocket, just like Kelsier.
Mistborn
TheMistbornseries, created by Brandon Sanderson, is a high-fantasy saga set in the world of Scadrial, where magic is powered by metals through a system called Allomancy. The series focuses on political intrigue, heists, and the battle between good 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, expanding the story into new settings with new characters, all while maintaining connections to the original storyline.Books:Mistborn: The Final Empire (2006)Mistborn: The Well of Ascension (2007)Mistborn: The Hero of Ages (2008)Mistborn: The Alloy of Law (2011)Mistborn: Shadows of Self (2015)Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning (2016)Mistborn: The Lost Metal (2022)
