Apple TV's anti-Game of Thrones epic just staked its claim to the throne

Apple TV+ is finally making its move into the serious fantasy league, and, no exaggeration, the scale is massive. The streaming service is officially running with its own big-budget, could-challenge-Game of Thrones epic: a television version of Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive books. If the studio gets this adaptation even close to right, it’ll be the biggest arrow in their quiver – and considering they're roping in Sanderson to oversee the writing, there’s a fair bit of optimism that this won’t be another generic sword-and-sorcery faceplant.

Brandon Sanderson Is Actually Writing the Show, Not Just Taking the Credit

Look, we've all seen the usual trend with high-profile adaptations. Studios slap a 'based on the work of' sticker on the poster and then sideline the actual author. That’s not happening here. Sanderson himself dropped a slightly surprising tidbit in a recent Q&A with Waterstones (and yes, Screenrant caught it): not only is he involved, he's the main writer.

'Stormlight, I''ll write a huge chunk of it – which is a 10 episode television show. I am the primary writer on both of those.'

(“Both of those” refers to the first two major fantasy adaptations Sanderson has on his plate, but it's Stormlight he's diving into first).

The Apple TV+ Game Plan (Or, Season 1 in Bullet Points)

• Show is officially greenlit by Apple TV+ – their boldest fantasy swing to date
• Season 1: 10 episodes, written primarily by Brandon Sanderson himself (not just a consultant, not just a ceremonial producer – the actual screenwriter)
• No release window given yet, but the adaptation is confirmed as in active development
• Source material: Sanderson’s sprawling epic series, known for its intricate world-building, a truly enormous cast of characters, and more in-depth magic systems than most book series can dream of
• Sanderson has described himself as writing a 'huge chunk' of this version, signalling far more than the usual rubber-stamping of spinoffs we've seen in other franchises

What Makes This One Worth Watching?

If you're not familiar with Stormlight, imagine 'big fantasy' and then make it even bigger: continent-spanning storylines, magic everywhere, and a history that stretches back thousands of years. The books are famously complex – so having Sanderson himself at the keyboard should eliminate a lot of the usual adaptation pitfalls (cutting all the good bits, miscasting, shoehorning in a modern subplot that makes no sense, etc.).

There’s also the elephant in the room: the inevitable comparisons to Game of Thrones. Whether it lives up to the hype or not, Apple’s definitely not shy about pitching this as their answer to Westeros – only, perhaps, with less plotting in brothels and a bit more world-building.