Brandon Sanderson is best known for his fantasy books, but the author’s most likely story to become a TV show leans more sci-fi — and that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Sanderson’s Mistborn and Stormlight Archive series have become modern fantasy classics. There have been many discussions about whether they’ll be adapted, and it’s now looking more likely for Mistborn. However, Sanderson seems to be shooting for movie adaptations of both.
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In an interview with Polygon, the author broke down the problems with fantasy shows on streaming, and he told the outlet that he’s more interested in a film adaptation of The Stormlight Archive. Given that a Mistborn movie was previously in development (and appears to be making progress again), we can assume he has similar expectations for his other fantasy hit. There is one Sanderson book that sounds like it could reach the small screen, however. It’s one of his lesser-known titles, but it’s a sensible choice for the current TV landscape.
Skyward Is Currently the Most Likely Brandon Sanderson Book to Get a TV Show
In his State of the Sanderson blog post for 2025, Sanderson revealed the status of each of his adaptations in the works — and while the updates for Snapshot and Tress of the Emerald Sea were disappointing, there was some good news. For one, it seems like Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive adaptations are making progress again, even if he couldn’t share much about them. And the author revealed that the Skyward TV show “had some good motion,” even if it didn’t move beyond the development stage just yet:
“Last year, we were hunting showrunners, and we picked them. Last year we were on Step Four, and we technically still are, but we have showrunners, and together we’re writing the pilot.So it’s a pretty-far-along Step Four, which can often be one of the longest to complete.“
While Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive are also at Step Four of the adaptation process outlined in the 2024 State of the Sanderson, they’re at an earlier point of that stage. They’re also more likely to be movies, while Sanderson’s Skyward adaptation is a TV show. There’s still no network or streamer attached to it, so it’s not a given just yet. But as it’s the furthest along of the author’s potential adaptations, it seems like the most likely to actually happen. And looking at the Skyward Series and current TV trends, that’s not a huge surprise.
A Skyward Series Is in Line With Streaming’s Shift Towards Sci-Fi
Sanderson’s Skyward books fall into the sci-fi genre, following a young girl named Spensa as she attempts to become a starfighter and join the fight against an alien race threatening her home planet. They’re perfect novels to adapt in the current streaming era, as studios and networks seem to be shifting their focus away from fantasy and towards science fiction. A number of incredible sci-fi shows have defined the 2020s, from Severance, Andor, and Fallout to the much newer Pluribus. Apple TV, in particular, seems committed to expanding its offerings in the genre.
And unlike so many fantasy series on streaming, many of the sci-fi stories coming out are getting good reviews and multiple season renewals. The category is thriving on the small screen instead of suffering from the shortcomings that often plague fantasy. Sanderson is all too aware of those issues, which is why he’s searching for the right deals for his Cosmere adaptations. With Skyward, however, streaming already has a promising playbook. The demand for sci-fi also bodes well for the upcoming show, if it does happen. The audience is hungry for such stories, so there’s no better time to adapt Skyward.
With No Cosmere Connection, Skyward Is Less Overwhelming Than Sanderson’s Other Books
In addition to benefiting from current streaming trends, an adaptation of Sanderson’s Skyward series has another advantage. It’s one of the author’s few stories that isn’t connected to his greater Cosmere universe. That makes it less daunting to adapt and places less pressure on it as a whole. It won’t be as difficult for newcomers to follow, as it wont expand into a larger, more complicated narrative. (With all the fatigue surrounding the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars, that could work in its favor, even when it comes to established fantasy fans.)
The Skyward show also won’t have the fates of spinoffs and sequels resting on its shoulders. That will give the creators room to breathe, allowing them to focus on the usual challenges that come with book-to-screen adaptations instead of worrying about a more expansive franchise. Needless to say, it’s a great series to test the waters before bringing Sanderson’s other stories to life. Hopefully, it continues to make good progress.
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