Brandon Sanderson maps Stormlight Archive pilot after Mistborn screenplay
Brandon Sanderson said his next project after the Mistborn screenplay for Apple TV+ will be developing a pilot for the Stormlight Archive series. In a video update posted to his YouTube channel this week, he said he expects to write a big, decent chunk of the first season himself.
Sanderson’s next writing move
“Once I finish the Mistborn screenplay, my next project will be getting a pilot for Stormlight and then trying to get the whole season worked through,” Sanderson said. He added, “I'm going to have some writing partners. But I'm going to write a big, decent chunk of it myself, because I would like to.”
That puts the adaptation on a more concrete path than a broad franchise announcement. Sanderson is not just attaching his name to the series; he is describing a writing process that gives him direct input on the pilot and on a sizable share of season one.
2010 to Wind and Truth
The Stormlight Archive launched in 2010 with The Way of Kings and reached its first five-book arc in December 2024 with Wind and Truth. Every entry in the 10-book epic fantasy series debuted at No. 1 on bestseller list, and the books have sold over 16 million copies.
The series also picked up a Hugo Award nomination for Best Series in 2025. That combination of sales, chart performance, and award recognition explains why a pilot announcement carries more weight than a routine development note: the property already has a proven reader base and a finished first arc to draw from.
Apple TV+ and the pilot
For Apple TV+, the immediate takeaway is simple: the next visible step is a pilot, not a vague promise of adaptation. Sanderson said he will move to that stage after finishing the Mistborn screenplay, which keeps both projects in motion while leaving Stormlight as the higher-profile long-term build.
The complication is that a pilot still leaves the season itself to be worked through, even with Sanderson writing alongside partners. But the update gives readers the clearest sign yet of where the adaptation is headed, and it points to a version of Stormlight shaped by the author rather than handed off after a sale.
