Entertainment

“Streaming Has Had A Big Problem With Epic Fantasy”: Author Brandon Sanderson Weighs In On Fantasy TV, Cites Rings Of Power & Wheel Of Time As Disappointments

Esteemed fantasy author Brandon Sanderson has expressed his disappointment with attempts to bring epic fantasy to streaming television, citing responses to The Wheel of Time and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Perhaps best known for his Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive novels, Sanderson was selected to complete Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series following the author’s death in 2007. It was a natural fit, given Sanderson’s insistence on developing cohesive magic systems. In 2022, Sanderson would also create a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign, generating almost $42 million to self-publish four novels penned during the COVID pandemic.

Speaking with Polygon, Sanderson was asked about potential adaptations of his solo works. Admitting that while he has “had a lot of offers for The Stormlight Archive,” he has rejected them all as he does not yet feel the time is right. Instead, he suggested that streaming television has yet to figure out the correct approach to the genre. As proof, he cited the response to Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, along with Netflix’s canceled Shadow and Bone series. Check out his comments below:

I’m not convinced that we have hit stability in the streaming market. Streaming has had a big problem with epic fantasy, and this has me worried. Rings of Power and Wheel of Time have not gone as well as I would’ve hoped. Shadow and Bone lasted only two seasons, after a very strong first season. Streaming hasn’t figured out epic fantasy yet.

He suggested that audiences have not experienced any great epic fantasy television since the early seasons of Game of Thrones. Sanderson also posits that much of the issue lies in the vestiges of an older, episodic television model rather than budgetary constraints. Check out his final comments below:

Maybe this is a holdover from network television days, where they’re trying to make the episodes fit into the structure of how episodic television used to work, rather than filming an eight-hour movie and showing it in chunks. But maybe that’s a bad idea. All I know is, right now we haven’t seen really great epic fantasy film television since the early, mid seasons of Game of Thrones. Fifty million dollars per episode has not done it, so it’s not a matter of the money they’re throwing at it.

Sanderson May Be Overlooking A More Obvious Problem

Sanderson is not alone in his disappointment with some of streaming television’s most recent fantasy adaptations. Despite The Wheel of Time and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power receiving largely positive critical responses, both Prime Video shows have often borne the brunt of disgruntled fantasy viewers. Many were dissatisfied with the adaptation’s handling of the source material. These kinds of complaints have had a measurable impact on viewership numbers, with The Rings of Power season 2 suffering a considerable 60% viewership hit within its first 12 weeks of streaming availability compared to season 1.

Related


5 Fantasy TV Shows That Fell Off After One Season

Though these fantasy TV shows have had their ups and downs over the years, they never reached the same heights or success as the first seasons.

Whether these issues are, as Sanderson suggests, a remnant of network television is debatable. While it is true that the age of streaming television has fundamentally changed the way audiences consume entertainment, most of the concerns related to the shows that Sanderson referenced are based on the perceived liberties being taken with the source material as opposed to the episodic narrative structure being employed. Nonetheless, television is a vastly different storytelling format to epic fantasy novels, and the medium’s constraints mean that showrunners are often forced to deviate from the books to some degree.

Sanderson Is Working On His Own Epic Fantasy Adaptation

He Prefers A Movie Adaptation For Mistborn

The covers of The Well of Ascension, Mistborn: The Final Empire, and The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson with a green city background
Custom Image by Yeider Chacon

Considering his misgivings about TV adaptations, it’s no surprise that Sanderson is looking to other mediums when translating his own books to the screen. He is currently developing a movie adaptation of Mistborn. The book series features a group of Allomancers with the power to burn metals. They rise up against a cruel empire in the hopes of freeing the world from tyranny. As of December 2023, unfortunately, the project has been stalled in the scripting phase. It currently remains on hold, though the project has been in the early stages of development for over a decade.

Mistborn: The Final Empire was first published in 2006.

None of Sanderson’s works have ever received an adaptation, whether on the silver screen or the small screen. The reason is reportedly due to Sanderson’s wish to exercise creative control over any production. Wheel of Time is the only true exception, and that series was largely 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.

Our Take On Sanderson’s Fantasy TV Criticisms

Epic Fantasy Requires A Massive Commitment To Be Done Right

 Inej Tolya and Mal on a ship in Shadow and Bone

Perhaps much of the current issue with fantasy adaptations lies with the season-by-season renewal preferred by most streamers and its incompatibility with works they attempt to adapt. While Max is busily pursuing an unprecedented seven-season commitment regarding their Harry Potter television reboot, most services are increasingly reluctant to look more than one or two seasons ahead. As such, fans of shows like Shadow and Bone are also reluctant to engage with a television adaptation with no guarantee that it will ever be fully completed. These decisions prevent writers from truly planting seeds for future storylines.

It is nearly impossible to plan more faithful adaptations without knowing exactly where the final goal line will be.

There is indeed room for epic fantasy in the world of streaming entertainment. Still, the decision to adapt some of the genre’s best-known and most expansive works should come with a genuine acknowledgment of the size and scope of the material being used. Shows like The Wheel of Time and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power often require a major commitment from studios. It is nearly impossible to plan more faithful adaptations without knowing exactly where the final goal line will be or whether it will ever be reached.

Source: Polygon

Checkout latest world news below links :
World News || Latest News || U.S. News

Source link

Back to top button