Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive Apple TV Plan: 10 Episodes, Written by Him

Brandon Sanderson’s schedule is packed in a way that would make most fantasy writers blink twice. He’s still steadily putting out new entries in the Cosmere, but he’s also juggling two screen projects at the same time: a full-length adaptation of Mistborn and a multi-episode Stormlight Archive series for Apple TV.

What sets this apart is the level of creative control he’s reportedly been granted. Sanderson is set to serve as the main writer on both adaptations—an unusual move for an author who hasn’t spent much time in traditional screenwriting. It also signals how much confidence Apple has placed in him, and it hints at why Sanderson wants these stories to feel properly “his,” especially when plenty of authors have previously distanced themselves from on-screen versions of their work.

Stormlight Archive Will Have 10 Episodes

Sanderson recently discussed the upcoming Stormlight Archive adaptation while speaking alongside fellow fantasy writer Joe Abercrombie in an interview with Waterstones. The big takeaway: the first season is planned as a 10-episode run.

Quick facts

• The first season of the Stormlight Archive adaptation is set to have 10 episodes.
• Sanderson says he will be the primary writer on both Mistborn and the Stormlight Archive series.
• Wind and Truth, the fifth book, arrived in late 2024 and concludes the first phase of the saga.
• The sixth book will continue after a significant in-universe time jump.
• The Fires of December (one of Hoid’s Travails) is slated for release this year.
• No official Apple TV release dates have been announced yet for either adaptation.

Sanderson put it plainly, saying he’ll write a “huge chunk” of Stormlight, describing it as a 10-episode television show. He also emphasized that he’s the primary writer on both the Mistborn project and the Stormlight Archive series, which is a rare level of involvement for a novelist stepping into TV production.

Ten episodes also feels like the expected format for a prestige fantasy launch in 2026. For comparison, HBO’s House of the Dragon season one also ran with 10 episodes, while A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms started with a shorter six-episode stretch.

From a story adaptation standpoint, the real question is how Sanderson plans to handle The Way of Kings. The hardcover clocks in around 1,000 pages, and a large part of the novel focuses on the emotional development of co-lead Kaladin. That means the opening entry isn’t as action-heavy as some viewers might expect from the genre label alone.

To keep momentum on screen, it’s likely Sanderson will restructure pacing and bring more of the plot forward than the book’s slower, character-driven movement. In other words, don’t be surprised if the TV version “tightens the timeline” to maintain a steady narrative pull from episode to episode.

On the publishing side, Sanderson’s long ride through the connected world of the Cosmere is nearing its endpoint—at least for the current major arc. The fifth installment, Wind and Truth, released in late 2024 and marks the end of the Stormlight Archive’s first phase.

Even with that milestone, the next chapter isn’t picking up immediately. There’s expected to be a substantial time gap inside the story before the sixth book resumes events.

Meanwhile, this year will also bring another entry from Hoid’s Travails: The Fires of December. Sanderson’s lineup for the year is described as relatively quiet, which is likely tied to his obligations on the cinematic and television front, and it’s the only Cosmere book scheduled for release during this period.

Finally, while the Apple TV projects are clearly moving, there’s still no official release date for either Sanderson adaptation—Mistborn or Stormlight Archive—at the moment.