Move Over George R. R. Martin: Brandon Sanderson’s Superhero Saga Could Dominate Live-Action TV

Brandon Sanderson has a mountain of worlds he could take to screen, and he has not exactly sprinted toward Hollywood. If he is going to pick one right now, though, The Reckoners is the move. The market is already primed thanks to The Boys and Invincible, and Reckoners fits that lane without needing a 10-minute lore explainer before every scene.

Why The Reckoners makes sense right now

Fans have been begging for a Mistborn movie forever. I get it. But Mistborn is a heavier lift: bigger mythology, steeper buy-in. The Reckoners is leaner and more familiar to a general audience: superpowered tyrants ('Epics') rule the world, and a human crew fights back with brains and guts. If you are looking to plant a flag in live-action, this is the easier on-ramp.

Also, timing. Superhero TV is in a weird place: audiences still show up for sharp, character-first takes with teeth. The Reckoners can stand next to The Boys and Invincible and not look out of place.

So what happened to the Steelheart adaptation?

There was real movement here once. Back in 2015, Deadline reported that Fox was financing a Steelheart feature with Shawn Levy producing through 21 Laps. The genre was humming then, and it felt like a layup. It was not.

• 2015: Fox backs a Steelheart film, with Shawn Levy and 21 Laps producing, per Deadline.
• 2018: In his State of the Sanderson, Sanderson says the producers have renewed interest and the project has studio backing but is still early.
• Post-2018: Publicly, it goes quiet. There is chatter about doing it as animation. Either way, nothing lands.

Here is how Sanderson put it in 2018:

"Beyond that, it came with the implicit promise of support from Fox, meaning that we could skip the 'finding a studio' step. That said, this is still in the screenplay stage."

And then... crickets. Whether live-action or animated, it has been stuck in development hell ever since. Which is exactly why Sanderson should reassess now, while the lane is open.

Meanwhile, George R.R. Martin could not get Wild Cards airborne

If you want a cautionary tale, look at George R.R. Martin’s long-running attempt to bring Wild Cards to TV. He has talked openly about the project ping-ponging between studios. The last known stop was Peacock, which passed — much to his annoyance. For Martin, it could have been the post-Game of Thrones TV franchise starter. Instead, it has been a tough sell to get people to bite.

That is not a knock on the material; it is a reminder that even giants can struggle to translate a sprawling, decades-deep superhero anthology to screen. The Reckoners, by comparison, is a tighter trilogy with a clean hook.

Bottom line

Sanderson has not rushed to adapt his books, and that is fine. But if he wants a straightforward win in film or TV, The Reckoners is the smartest first swing. The concept is accessible, the timing is good, and the audience is there.

For the record: The Reckoners (by Brandon Sanderson) ran from 2013 to 2016, it is firmly in the young adult/superhero space, and it sits at a 4.51 out of 5 on Goodreads — which tells you readers are already on board.

What would you rather watch first: The Reckoners or Wild Cards?