7 Fantasy Movies & Shows Apple’s Mistborn Adaptation Must Learn From

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Apple TV faces a big challenge in adapting Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn into a movie. However, they can draw lessons from other successful fantasy films and shows. The past two decades have seen a surge in popular fantasy projects, starting with The Lord of the Rings in the 2000s, followed by the massive hit Game of Thrones in the 2010s, and continuing with numerous projects inspired by its success in the 2020s.

Although the magic system in Mistborn and its use of introductory quotes present some challenges, the upcoming film adaptation can learn a lot from other successful fantasy projects. By looking at how shows like HBO’s recent remake of a 90s hit and Netflix’s popular video game adaptation handled their transitions to the screen, the Mistborn film can find a strong direction.

7) His Dark Materials

Similar to His Dark Materials, Mistborn features a young female protagonist but deals with complex and serious topics. While both series are geared towards younger readers, the HBO adaptation of His Dark Materials doesn’t avoid the most challenging parts of the story. Mistborn could benefit from this approach, as it’s a story for adults with a teenage lead. The show offers a good example of how to blend a coming-of-age narrative with the darker, more realistic elements of Brandon Sanderson’s novels.

Both Mistborn and His Dark Materials explore themes of faith – His Dark Materials directly, and Mistborn through the character of Sazed. His Dark Materials provides a great example of how to handle this complex topic with sensitivity, showing both the power and potential dangers of belief. And speaking of casting, Mistborn could learn a thing or two from His Dark Materials and cast Dafne Keen as its main character – she would be absolutely perfect!

6) Shadow and Bone

The Netflix series Shadow and Bone successfully adapted its magical system from Leigh Bardugo’s novels by simplifying it for new viewers. The upcoming Mistborn adaptation will face a similar challenge. Brandon Sanderson’s series features a very intricate magic system based on different metals, and it will be harder to explain this clearly in a movie than it was in a longer TV show like Shadow and Bone. However, Mistborn could learn from Shadow and Bone’s approach to make its magic understandable and impactful, which is crucial for bringing Sanderson’s story to life.

5) Game of Thrones

With its high quality, Game of Thrones has become the benchmark for fantasy TV – often exceeding even films – and Mistborn could benefit from studying it, despite their different approaches. The show’s production values, from costumes to action, offer a strong model, as does its character development, mirroring Mistborn‘s own complex heroes and villains. Beyond Brandon Sanderson’s novels, Game of Thrones provides excellent inspiration, particularly in how it handles political maneuvering, which could inform the development of Elend’s journey to leadership.

4) The Lord of the Rings

While Game of Thrones is a benchmark for fantasy TV, the Lord of the Rings films achieve that status for movies. The upcoming Mistborn film could benefit from studying Peter Jackson’s trilogy, especially The Two Towers. The later Mistborn novels include large-scale battles that could be as impressive as the Battle of Helm’s Deep, and the film could draw inspiration from its choreography, lighting, and pacing. The Return of the King also offers valuable lessons. When creating the Koloss, the filmmakers could look to the Orcs and Uruk-hai for design ideas, aiming for a similarly distinct, brutal, and frightening aesthetic.

3) Star Wars

The Mistborn film adaptation could learn a lot from Star Wars, which successfully blends science fiction and fantasy elements, particularly when it comes to action sequences. While some of the Allomantic powers – like Vin and Kelsier’s ability to fly and manipulate metal – are unique for live-action fantasy, Star Wars proves how to make these kinds of abilities look impressive and natural, not cheesy. Furthermore, if Apple TV decides to adapt the entire Mistborn series, it will need to constantly evolve, just like Star Wars has done over the years. (However, bringing back the Lord Ruler would probably be a mistake.)

2) The Mighty Nein

The upcoming Mistborn movie will be a fantasy heist story, and several episodes of The Mighty Nein successfully use a similar format. The Mighty Nein efficiently packs its heists into 40-minute episodes, which could offer Mistborn a good example of how to keep things concise. Both series also feature groups of outsiders learning to rely on each other. While Kelsier’s team is already established when Vin joins them, she still needs to learn to trust them throughout her adventure. The Mighty Nein demonstrates how to make this kind of emotional development engaging for viewers, and it excels at giving each character enough screen time to make us care about them. Mistborn will need to achieve that same balance with its own group of characters.

1) Arcane

I’d love to see a Mistborn movie with animation similar to Arcane, but even if that’s not possible, the upcoming Apple film could still learn a lot from how Arcane tells its story. Arcane brilliantly shows the difference between the poor, struggling city of Zaun and the wealthy city of Piltover. Mistborn needs that same kind of contrast to accurately represent the world Brandon Sanderson created. Arcane also does a great job of gradually bringing characters from different social classes together, finding common ground. Plus, the show effectively uses flashbacks to reveal important backstory, which could be a good way to incorporate Sanderson’s character epitaphs into a movie adaptation.

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2026-02-11 05:41