Apple TV’s upcoming fantasy will replace The Wheel of Time live-action series, and the show has already fixed one fatal flaw that doomed the Prime Video adaptation. When it comes to modern epic fantasy, few stories are as beloved as The Wheel of Time books by the late Robert Jordan, who wrote the first 11, and Brandon Sanderson, who wrote the last 3. Jordan brought us brilliant characters and a compelling magical world. As such, book fans were thrilled to learn that Prime Video would bring the series to life. Unfortunately, the show completely failed.
The first season could get a little leeway due to COVID-19, an actor’s departure, and budget constraints. However, they had no real excuse for the poor adaptation in seasons 2 and 3. If a person were to enter the Prime Video original show completely unfamiliar with the source material, I’m sure it would be enjoyable. However, as a fan, I was initially gutted and now have to think of it as entirely separate from the books.
Prime Video recently announced a second life for The Wheel of Time, including an animated TV show, movies, and video games. Hopefully, they will be more faithful this time around. However, one upcoming Apple TV show feels like it’s the proper replacement for The Wheel of Time.
Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive is coming to life on the screen, and it’s already off to a better start. Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time failed in so many ways, but one of the most fatal was its really shallow worldbuilding. Luckily, Apple TV’s The Stormlight Archive won’t have this issue because of one key difference.
The Wheel Of Time Failed To Fully Capture The Books’ Intense Worldbuilding
Both the late Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson are known for their intense worldbuilding, and it continued to grow from the first book to the last. The world of Randland felt complex and lived-in. However, the show made the world feel considerably more generic and small. Their exterior filming locations looked so similar that the places in The Wheel of Time had less personality.
They provided some depth with inclusions like the Legend of Manetheren, but they cut out the crucial prologue. Their filming style did Randland no favors, making it feel tiny in season 1 and only marginally better in seasons 2 and 3. They cut storylines and locations, like the quest for the Horn of Valere and Caemlyn, which would have expanded the scope and provided more cultural context. It did get better with each season, but that doesn’t mean it’s good. It just means that it’s less bad. The saddest part is that they didn’t have to fail this way.
Jordan passed, which is why Sanderson took over the series in the first place, meaning the original author wasn’t available to help. However, they had Brandon Sanderson ready to help with the TV show’s plot and worldbuilding, and they didn’t involve him in The Wheel of Time any meaningful way, despite wanting his name attached. Sanderson had to become an expert in these stories to write the final three books, and he could have helped save the doomed fantasy show. They just chose to largely ignore him, which is technically their right but a really foolish decision for a book series as long and complex as The Wheel of Time. Luckily, this won’t be an issue with The Stormlight Archive.
Brandon Sanderson’s Hands-On Involvement Guarantees The Cosmere Will Look Right
From the time that the TV adaptations of The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn were announced, we knew that Brandon Sanderson would have unprecedented creative control over the onscreen versions of his stories. The announcement from The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that he would write, produce, and consult. However, it wasn’t clear just how much of the writing he would do himself and how much would be delegated. He previously suggested that he’d want to write a lot of the scripts for adaptations, though.
Now, Sanderson shared that the first season of The Stormlight Archive will be 10 episodes long, which seems like a small number for such a dense story, but if anyone can handle it, it’s Brandon Sanderson. This is especially true because he will write a good chunk of the scripts and serve as the head writer on both The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn. This news completely eliminates any concern about the worldbuilding intensity and depth.
From an outside perspective, Sanderson seems obsessive, in a good way, about worldbuilding. It’s one of the biggest things he’s known for. The fact that he’s writing a good chunk of the show means that he can depict the various worlds and cultures within the Cosmere as they’re meant to be. There’s little to no chance that he will flatten the world of Roshar and make it feel less real in The Stormlight Archive. Similarly, he can ensure Mistborn‘s Scadrial is book-accurate in the movie trilogy.