The Wheel of Time
Esteemed illusion source Brandon Sanderson has expressed his disappointment with attempts to bring larger-than-life fantasy to well out television , name reply toThe Wheel of TimeandLord of the Rings : The Rings of Power . Perhaps well known for hisMistbornandThe Stormlight Archivenovels , Sanderson was selected to complete Robert Jordan’sThe Wheel of Timeseries following the author ’s end in 2007 . It was a natural fit , given Sanderson ’s press on developing cohesive legerdemain systems . In 2022 , Sanderson would also make a record - breaking Kickstarter campaign , generating almost $ 42 million to ego - publish four novel penned during the COVID pandemic .
I ’m not convinced that we have hit stability in the cyclosis market . Streaming has had a big problem with epic illusion , andthis has me worried . Rings of PowerandWheel of Timehave not gone as well as I would ’ve hoped . Shadow and Bonelasted only two time of year , after a very strong first season . Streaming has n’t compute out epic fantasy yet .
Maybe this is a hangover from web television day , where they ’re adjudicate to make the episodes fit into the structure of how episodic television used to lick , rather than film an eight - hour movie and showing it in clod . But perchance that ’s a unsound idea . All I know is , right now we have n’t seen really great epic illusion film television since the former , mid seasons of Game of Thrones . Fifty million dollars per episode has not done it , so it ’s not a affair of the money they ’re throwing at it .
What Sanderson’s Comments Mean For The Future Of Fantasy Television
Sanderson May Be Overlooking A More Obvious Problem
Sanderson is not alone in his letdown with some of streaming television ’s most recent illusion adaptations . DespiteThe Wheel of TimeandThe Lord of the Rings : The Rings of Powerreceiving largely positive decisive responses , both Prime Video show have often borne the brunt of disgruntled phantasy viewers . Many were disgruntled with the adaption ’s handling of the source material . These variety of ill have had a measurable encroachment on viewership numbers , withThe Rings of Powerseason 2suffering a considerable 60 % viewership hit within its first 12 weeks of stream accessibility equate to season 1 .
Though these fantasy telecasting show have had their ups and downs over the years , they never reached the same heights or success as the first time of year .
Whether these issue are , as Sanderson suggests , a remainder of connection television is debatable . While it is truthful that the old age of cyclosis TV has essentially transfer the way audience consume entertainment , most of the business related to the shows that Sanderson reference are free-base on the perceived liberty being take with the source material as opposed to the episodic narrative structure being employed . Nonetheless , television is a vastly unlike storytelling formatto epic phantasy novel , and the culture medium ’s constraints entail that showrunners are often forced to deviate from the Good Book to some arcdegree .
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Sanderson Is Working On His Own Epic Fantasy Adaptation
He Prefers A Movie Adaptation For Mistborn
Considering his misgivings about TV adjustment , it ’s no surprisal that Sanderson is await to other mediums when translating his own books to the screen . He is currently developing amovie version ofMistborn . The Word series sport a group of Allomancers with the major power to burn metals . They arise up against a vicious empire in the hopes of unloosen the humankind from dictatorship . As of December 2023 , unfortunately , the project has been stall in the scripting stage . It currently continue on custody , though the projection has been in the early stages of growth for over a X .
Mistborn : The Final Empirewas first published in 2006 .
None of Sanderson ’s works have ever incur an adaptation , whether on the silver medal CRT screen or the minuscule screen . The grounds is reportedly due to Sanderson ’s wish to work out creative control over any production . Wheel of Timeis the only reliable exception , and that series was for the most part penned by Robert Jordan rather than Sanderson . He served as a consulting producer , but he has been a strong critic of the show as a whole .
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Our Take On Sanderson’s Fantasy TV Criticisms
Epic Fantasy Requires A Massive Commitment To Be Done Right
Perhaps much of the current issue with fancy adaptations lies with the season - by - time of year replenishment prefer by most streamer and its incompatibility with works they attempt to adjust . While Max is busily pursue an unprecedented seven - season committedness regarding theirHarry Pottertelevision reboot , most services are more and more reluctant to look more than one or two seasons ahead . As such , fans of shows likeShadow and Bonearealso loth to engage with a television adaption with no guarantee thatit will ever be fully discharge . These decisions prevent writer from truly planting seeds for future storylines .
It is intimately impossible to plan more close adaptations without knowing exactly where the last finish line will be .
There is indeed way for heroic fantasy in the Earth of streaming amusement . Still , the decision to conform some of the genre ’s best - known and most expansive employment should come with a genuine credit of the size and background of the cloth being used . Shows likeThe Wheel of TimeandThe Lord of the Rings : The Rings of Poweroften require a major dedication from studios . It is nearly impossible to plan more close adaptations without knowing on the dot where the concluding goal stemma will be or whether it will ever be reached .
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Cast
The Wheel of Time follows Moiraine , a member of the sinewy all - female organization Aes Sedai , as she leads a perilous pursuit with five young soul . Moiraine suspects one among them could be the prophesized renascence of a mighty figure destined to either save or doomsday humanness .
Set in the 2d Age of Middle - earth , The Lord of the Rings : The Rings of Power explore the forging of the iconic rings , the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron , and the larger-than-life event leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien ’s Greco-Roman novels . The serial chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historical alliances and rivalry that mould the portion of in-between - dry land .
Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power explores the forging of the iconic rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and the epic events leading up to the stories in J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic novels. The series chronicles the creation of legendary characters and the historic alliances and rivalries that shape the fate of Middle-earth.
