The Later Mistborn Movies Face A Bigger Obstacle Than The Books’ Magic System

If the movie adaptation of Mistborn ever comes to fruition, it will ideally be green-lit for sequels — and the later films will face an even bigger challenge than bringing its magic system to the big screen. Mistborn‘s magic system is one of the most fascinating elements of Brandon Sanderson’s books, but it will be among the most difficult parts of the series to depict in live-action. Allomancy allows Sanderson’s characters to draw on metals to give them power, and its complexity alone will be hard to convey to movie audiences.

That’s not to mention the need for a hefty special-effects budget, as the magic can’t look cheap or gimmicky if the Mistborn movie hopes to succeed. But Sanderson’s books utilize Allomancy to deliver epic action sequences on multiple occasions, and it’s hard to imagine a new IP being able to match the source material. Needless to say, Allomancy is one of the biggest challenges facing a Mistborn adaptation. However, if The Well of Ascension and Hero of Ages also get made, they’ll face an even bigger obstacle.

The Hero Of Ages Will Need To Depict Ruin & Preservation On-Screen

These Characters & Their Origins Will Also Be Hard To Adapt

CGI and well-placed exposition can solve a Mistborn movie’s Allomancy problem, but the later films will need to introduce Ruin and Preservation. And this could actually prove more difficult for a live-action film series, as these gods don’t have tangible forms in the way the other characters do. While The Well of Ascension only needs a voice-over from Ruin during its ending, The Hero of Ages needs to convey the final confrontation between the villain and Preservation. However, their showdown ultimately unfolds through Marsh and Vin.

Vin eventually absorbs Preservation to defeat Ruin, but how a live-action movie would handle this is questionable. The Hero of Ages adaptation will need to find a way, however, as the confrontation between Preservation and Ruin is the climax of Mistborn Era 1. A faithful adaptation can’t get around that, but it needs to ensure it doesn’t resort to cheesy effects or imagery to show their final fight. Of course, it will likely need to do a bit more than the books to convey what’s happening, as it could be confusing for newcomers.

Introducing Mistborn’s God Characters Will Be An Obstacle For The Later Films

It Will Be Harder To Work Such Exposition Into A Sequel

In addition to the visual challenges facing on-screen depictions of Ruin and Preservation, the Mistborn movie could also face obstacles introducing these characters and their backstories. Fantasy movies with so much lore often struggle to balance exposition, and this could prove a problem when introducing these figures. Allomancy will also take time to explain, but moviegoers will be expecting that from a first installment. However, squeezing a significant amount of exposition into a sequel — much less a finale — needs to be handled far more delicately.

The fact that Ruin and Preservation also tie into lore from other series in Sanderson’s Cosmere also means the Mistborn movie can’t fully get into their backgrounds. But even sticking to the revelations from the original Mistborn trilogy, the movies must find a way to convey the power and history of these beings. It will also need to reveal their impact on the prior installments in hindsight, as readers don’t learn how much Ruin and Preservation affect the characters’ actions until later on.

The Hero Of Ages Movie Will Have 1 Advantage The Final Empire Won’t

It Will Have An Established Audience & Hopefully A Higher Budget

While Ruin and Preservation promise to be challenges for the later Mistborn movies, The Hero of Ages will have one advantage that The Final Empire won’t be able to utilize when it comes to Allomancy. The first Mistborn movie will need to work with whatever budget the studio allots, and it will need to explain complex magic while hooking new audiences. Both of these seem like uphill battles, but if the series gets as far as The Hero of Ages, it won’t have to worry about such things. Reaching a third film means the series will already have some level of success.

That makes it more likely that a studio will commit to a higher budget, so it will have the resources to bring Ruin and Preservation to life — even if it’s not clear how. Such success also suggests the series will have an established and invested audience, so viewers might not mind sitting through a bit more exposition than usual during The Hero of Ages. Only time will tell if the upcoming Mistborn adaptation gets this far and boasts these feats. But if it does the books justice, there’s no reason to think it won’t.

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Source: State of the Sanderson

Mistborn

The Mistborn series, created by Brandon Sanderson, is a high-fantasy saga set in the world of Scadrial, where magic is powered by metals through a system called Allomancy. The series focuses on political intrigue, heists, and the battle between good and evil. The first trilogy, Mistborn: The Final Empire, follows the struggle to overthrow a tyrannical ruler, the Lord Ruler. Later books in the series, including Era 2, take place hundreds of years after the events of the original trilogy, expanding the story into new settings with new characters, all while maintaining connections to the original storyline.

Books:

Mistborn: The Final Empire (2006)
Mistborn: The Well of Ascension (2007)
Mistborn: The Hero of Ages (2008)
Mistborn: The Alloy of Law (2011)
Mistborn: Shadows of Self (2015)
Mistborn: The Bands of Mourning (2016)
Mistborn: The Lost Metal (2022)

Created by

Brandon Sanderson

Character(s)

Vin , Kelsier , Sazed , Marsh , Elend Venture , Waxillium “Wax” Ladrian , Wayne , Steris Harms