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[Kaladin]

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/brandon-sanderson-cosmere-movie-adaptation-dmg-1201902500/

DMG Entertainment has nabbed film and licensing rights to “Cosmere,” Brandon Sanderson’s interconnected series of acclaimed fantasy novels. The entertainment and media company has committed to spending $270 million, which will cover half of the money needed to back the first three movies made from Sanderson’s canon. That makes it one of the largest literary deals of the year. DMG beat out several interested parties for rights to the series. As part of the pact, insiders say Sanderson will receive a minimum guarantee on each film that is produced, as well as a rich backend, allowing the author to make millions.

The Cosmere series links the bulk of Sanderson’s writings, with DMG likening it to acquiring a comic book universe rather than a single book franchise. The books are a mixture of sci-fi and fantasy, and they unfold in a number of different worlds and time periods, but are unified by an intricate system of magic that drives the plots.

DMG is fast-tracking an adaptation of Sanderson’s “The Way of Kings,” the first in the author’s series, “The Stormlight Archive,” and has hired screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, the writing team behind several “Saw” films, to adapt the book. DMG founder Dan Mintz will produce the film, with Sanderson and Joshua Bilmes serving as executive producers. DMG also intends on simultaneously adapting the first book in Sanderson’s “Mistborn” series. It has yet to decide on a screenwriter for the project.

Sanderson’s books’ global sales top 10 million copies, making him one of the few top-selling authors without a produced movie yet of his work.

“DMG is all about global entertainment brands built cinematically for the worldwide audience, and Sanderson’s library of present and future material provides one of the greatest story and character universes ever created,” said Mintz in a statement.

“The people at DMG aren’t just producers or financiers. They’re fans,” Sanderson said. “From the first moment we met, I knew they understood my vision and goals for the Cosmere, and I’ve been excited to work with them in bringing their vision for the universe to the screen.”

DMG has a publicly-listed Chinese arm, DMG Yinji, that gives it access to the world’s second-largest film market. It has been very active acquiring literary properties, recently nabbing Ken Liu’s “Grace of Kings” trilogy. The studio’s upcoming projects include John Curran’s political drama “Chappaquiddick,” the Felicity Jones and Nicholas Hoult thriller “Collide,” and the Ed Helms and Owen Wilson comedy “Bastards.”

Tor Books is Sanderson’s publisher. He is represented by APA, Bilmes at JABberwocky, and attorney Matt Sugarman at Weintraub Tobin. Paradigm’s David Boxerbaum, Underground’s Trevor Engelson, and attorney Dave Feldman represent Melton and Dunstan.

I had always hoped for movies of his work. His Cosmere universe is legit similar in scope to say the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you have never read his books, I recommend starting with Mistborn and going from there.

 

[BrokenFiction]

I endorse this.

 

[jett]

Never heard of DMG Entertainment before.

Maybe I should start reading Mistborn one of these days.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

I hope The Way of Kings is done well. It's not going to be easy... there's a heck of a lot more interconnected pieces than Lord of the Rings.

 

[Zeroneo]

I feel like Way of Kings is too long to be covered in a single movie

 

[Bonen no Max'd]

Sanderson might be my favorite living author but I'm not sure how any of these could work as film.

...except Alloy of Law, that would be pretty great.

 

[hamchan]

I support this but man, I always imagined the Way of Kings would be better as a TV series, and perhaps maybe wait a few years down the line when Sanderson has more than a couple of books out. Though with his writing speed...

I think Mistborn should be very easy to turn into a movie.

 

[GasProblem]

I love the Stormlight Archive books. Interested in how they're going to make this into a movie though. Slightly apprehensive.

 

[lightskintwin]

and has hired screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, the writing team behind several “Saw” films

Hmmmmmm... I don't know if I should get excited or concerned.

 

[Kaladin]

They can do the gist of The Way of Kings in a 2.5 - 3 hour movie, I think. It would be heavily abbreviated and maybe not the best intro to the Cosmere at large.

Mistborn would be much better for a first film adaption as it's an easier to follow story and a story that can be put into 2 hours or so.

Plus, how many fantasy heist movies do you know of right now?

 

[gforguava]

Cool news, although I doubt we'll get to the likes of Warbreaker and Elantris, my personal favorites.

And a big thumbs up to Ken Liu's work getting picked up as well.

 

[Angry Grimace]

I support this but man, I always imagined the Way of Kings would be better as a TV series, and perhaps maybe wait a few years down the line when Sanderson has more than a couple of books out. Though with his writing speed...

I think Mistborn should be very easy to turn into a movie.

I have a feeling a Mistborn movie would come off as a YA cash grab since there's a lot of similarities between the first book and something like the Hunger Games.

 

[lightskintwin]

Plus, how many fantasy heist movies do you know of right now?

Well we're getting a fantasy cop thriller with Netflix's Bright that stars Will Smith.

 

[wamberz1]

On one hand, YESSSSSSSSSSSS. Love these books.

On the other: Good fucking luck. All of the worlds sanderson creates will probably require heavy cg or practical. (The world being covered in ash in mistborn, all the fauna being sea-based in stormlight).

I support this but man, I always imagined the Way of Kings would be better as a TV series, and perhaps maybe wait a few years down the line when Sanderson has more than a couple of books out. Though with his writing speed...

I think Mistborn should be very easy to turn into a movie.

Yeah I agree.

 

[JustAnotherMike]

Cool news, but to start with Stormlight is a bit worrisome. We're only two books in and the thing is supposed to a long series.

Would like to see a stand alone book get an adaptation first. Warbreaker would be a delight to see brought to screen.

Mistborn would be cool too since the first trilogy is complete.

 

[sunshine and gasoline]

Instant hype. They might end up being steaming turds but I'm glad that Sanderson can bring his works onto the big screen.

 

[kadotsu]

They can do the gist of The Way of Kings in a 2.5 - 3 hour movie, I think. It would be heavily abbreviated and maybe not the best intro to the Cosmere at large.

Mistborn would be much better for a first film adaption as it's an easier to follow story and a story that can be put into 2 hours or so.

Plus, how many fantasy heist movies do you know of right now?

If they make a fantasy heist movie it should be The Gentlemen Bastards.

 

[x-Lundz-x]

FUCK. YES.

 

[Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!]

I guess I should finally read Way of Kings then.

 

[Regiruler]

Please don't fuck this up. They just need to get the choreography perfect to make these good, the climax of Words of Radiance spells itself out, and it's probably my favorite literature fight scene of all time.

 

[Palmer_v1]

I have a feeling a Mistborn movie would come off as a YA cash grab since there's a lot of similarities between the first book and something like the Hunger Games.

I don't see any reason they couldn't age her UP specifically to avoid that. No part of her story requires her to be a teen when she's discovered, instead of say, mid 20s.

We should also be cautious of spoilers in here, since this might entice people to pick up the books.

 

[wamberz1]

Would like to see a stand alone book get an adaptation first. Warbreaker would be a delight to see brought to screen.
.

Warbreaker would probably look gorgeous with the whole colour-magic thing.

 

[Regiruler]

For better or worse, you should be able to tell how good the movie is going to be entirely by how much work went into the prologue in Way of Kings.

 

[suzu]

I thought Mistborn would've been done first, but cool news.

 

[VanWinkle]

PLEASE do Way of Kings justice. Haven't heard of this company before.

 

[danthefan]

Excellent. I will definitely see WoK and Mistborn if they ever come out.

 

[obin_gam]

Wasn't the first book just some guys walking with ladders on a stone desert for the entirety of it. I fail to see how that could be a movie.

 

[Palmer_v1]

I'd actually kinda like to see his Reckoners books turned into a movie. Feels like the subversive nature of all of the supers being giant dicks would be fun in the current climate.

Wasn't the first book just some guys walking with ladders on a stone desert for the entirety of it. I fail to see how that could be a movie.

lol, that is certainly a reductive way to describe it.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Like others in this thread I'm both excited and apprehensive about this. I love the Stormlight Archive series (what we have of it so far) but I'm not sure how that will work as a movie. I would think Mistborn would be much easier to start with.

 

[JustAnotherMike]

Warbreaker would probably look gorgeous with the whole colour-magic thing.

That is my thinking as an initial push into the cosmere since it so visual. If that hits well then you work into stormlight since they're are connections between the two.

 

[Pickman]

DMG Yinji is a Chinese-based entertainment and media company. It began as DMG, an advertising agency, in the early 1990s, and it began distributing non-Chinese films in the Chinese film market in the late 2000s. It also began producing Chinese films, starting with The Founding of a Republic (2009). At the same time, the company established its US operations and began producing Hollywood movies and distributing them in China, such as Looper (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Transcendence (2014) and Point Break (2015).

Could be in better hands, but eh. At least we're getting something.

 

[Kaladin]

PLEASE do Way of Kings justice. Haven't heard of this company before.

That is my biggest worry, they're a no name company that sounds like they might have just bought rights to put it in developmental hell.

 

[ultron87]

Starting with Way of Kings seems like a bad move. It kind of requires a bunch of huge army battles that'd be expensive as hell.

 

[FriendlyGoat]

On one hand, YESSSSSSSSSSSS. Love these books.

On the other: Good fucking luck. All of the worlds sanderson creates will probably require heavy cg or practical. (The world being covered in ash in mistborn, all the fauna being sea-based in stormlight).

To be fair in regards to Mistborn, a world obscured by ash and mist, and a story taking place largely at night, probably helps ease things quite a bit.

 

[Kaladin]

To be fair in regards to Mistborn, a world obscured by ash and mist, and a story taking place largely at night, probably helps ease things quite a bit.

Want to know what a Mistborn movie would look like?

Just add ash and mist and remove the guns (for the first trilogy)

 

[Draxal]

Don't like this, way too early in the series and the climactic scenes in both WoK and WoR would be impossible to do without a gigantic budget.

 

[Crimson_Justice]

Sweet. I'm definitely apprehensive about TWoK (seems so easy to mess up), but Mistborn should go fine, I'd imagine.

 

[studyguy]

HOLY FUCK
IN. HARD.

Also Mistborn would work tremendously well for a film as it is.

I'd be worried about TWoK getting adapted. It'd be a hell of an endeavor.
I can see his other one offs getting something though.

 

[Tucah]

As others have said, I'll be thrilled to finally see some of the Cosmere on screen but starting with TWoK is worrying and not quite the best place. Mistborn or Warbreaker would be perfect places to start.

 

[Kaladin]

As others have said, I'll be thrilled to finally see some of the Cosmere on screen but starting with TWoK is worrying and not quite the best place. Mistborn or Warbreaker would be perfect places to start.

I hope they get around to Warbreaker by the time they get to Words Of Radiance.

 

[Quonny]

Jesus Christ the special effects budget for this series is going to be massive.

Spren everywhere, crazy individual fights on top of massive wars...

Good luck.

 

[Zeroneo]

So, according to Sanderson himself, TWoK might not be the first book to be adapted: https://www.reddit.com/r/Stormlight..._brandon_sandersons_cosmere_books_to/d9ailqc/

Starting with Mistborn would make a lot more sense

 

[VyechnayaSlava]

Like others, I really pictured Stormlight as a TV series. The depth of the characters and the narrative will feel shortchanged with a 3 hour runtime. That said, I highly doubt that tv budgets could carry out the bridge runs justly.

All said, nervous that this is some random Chinese company that has distributed films, but not really created much Hollywood fare directly. I imagine that they'd work closely with Hollywood studios for this and cash a huge check.

As a side note, I always pictured Mistborn as an anime, but I'll take what I can get.

 

[Kaladin]

So, according to Sanderson himself, TWoK might not be the first book to be adapted: https://www.reddit.com/r/Stormlight..._brandon_sandersons_cosmere_books_to/d9ailqc/

Starting with Mistborn would make a lot more sense

That is a relief, as Mistborn would be a much better introduction to the world at large.

 

[Strimei]

On the one hand, I'm excited.

On the other, I can't help but feel worry akin to the whole Game of Thrones adaptation. Though movies would take longer, I imagine, but still...and even though Sanderson is a writing machine, he's only got two books of Stormlight done so far, and like...

So, according to Sanderson himself, TWoK might not be the first book to be adapted: https://www.reddit.com/r/Stormlight..._brandon_sandersons_cosmere_books_to/d9ailqc/

Starting with Mistborn would make a lot more sense

The article says that TWoK is being fast tracked, though, so dunno. Mistborn feels like a better option though, as you have a lot more books to adapt there whereas Stormlight Archive's still very early on (2 of 10).

 

[Angry Grimace]

There's no way they don't do Mistborn first. Half of the book revolves around a teenage girl with important magic powers getting dressed up and flirting with an intellectual bad boy.

 

[Tucah]

So, according to Sanderson himself, TWoK might not be the first book to be adapted: https://www.reddit.com/r/Stormlight..._brandon_sandersons_cosmere_books_to/d9ailqc/

Starting with Mistborn would make a lot more sense

That's good news. Emperor's Soul could be super interesting to see as a movie too.

 

[studyguy]

Lets be real, Mistborn is basically a movie already in the way its written. It's undoubtedly the first of the series. I can at the very least imagine the scenario and script with little changes going into it, just gotta cobble everything around it and cut it down for the masses.

 

[Fluvian]

Oh good, I need another big series to work through now that I've finished the dark tower, well you know until stephen king shoves another book in somewhere.

 

[Kaladin]

Oh good, I need another big series to work through now that I've finished the dark tower, well you know until stephen king shoves another book in somewhere.

Mistborn fits the bill currently clocking in at 6 books.