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Mistborn Screenplay has a Progress Bar


Use the Falchion

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Sanderson has talked about this a couple of times now, and now we have a progress bar! What are y'all's feelings on Sanderson writing the screenplay? How do you think this will affect his current writing schedule, if at all? 

What changes do you think he'll make? What changes would you want him to make? Let's talk about it all here!

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2 hours ago, Use the Falchion said:

Sanderson has talked about this a couple of times now, and now we have a progress bar! What are y'all's feelings on Sanderson writing the screenplay? How do you think this will affect his current writing schedule, if at all? 

What changes do you think he'll make? What changes would you want him to make? Let's talk about it all here!

I could see keeping the intro with Kelsier killing the land owner. I could also see the introduction of Vin (not as drawn out) via Camon trying to dupe the obligator. I think the Noble Balls will be cut down a bunch. The recruitment of rebels could be streamlined. I do think Vin's one on one with each misting would be needed to help introduce new people to the magic. 

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No one could write it better, obvs.

But selfishly I have mixed feelings - I'm already doubtful that I'll still be alive for SA #10, and adding in screensplays makes that prospect even more bleak.

Most of all I want Brandon to be happy with whatever happens, so it's all good.:)

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Don't do it Brandon, they will find a way to ruin it.

Anyway, I'm only half joking, but on a more serious note, I'm very skeptical. You'd think that someone who writes good books would also write good screenplays, but that's not necessarily the way it works. They're very different mediums and I'm not convinced that Brandon's way of writing translates well from one to the other. After all, adapting one of his fantasy epics to a Graphic Novel didn't work well either. I'm certainly not the one to question his work division decisions, but I'd rather have him work on something else.

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45 minutes ago, Elegy said:

Don't do it Brandon, they will find a way to ruin it.

Anyway, I'm only half joking, but on a more serious note, I'm very skeptical. You'd think that someone who writes good books would also write good screenplays, but that's not necessarily the way it works. They're very different mediums and I'm not convinced that Brandon's way of writing translates well from one to the other. After all, adapting one of his fantasy epics to a Graphic Novel didn't work well either. I'm certainly not the one to question his work division decisions, but I'd rather have him work on something else.

I partially agree - look at Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. It's a pretty bloated movie that was written by J.K. Rowling, whose experience is far sharper with the Harry Potter books than it is the movie series. And I say this despite the fact that I LIKED the movie (it's not good, but I liked it)! But Brandon has also talked about how he's getting advice with writing it, and seems to be very aware of the differences in the medium and what traps to avoid. 

Yes, White Sand was all over the place, but this is slightly different, since it's Sanderson adopting his book to a new format himself. If nothing else, by doing this screenplay Sanderson knows what to cut and what to keep, which gives a guide for whoever comes in afterwards to spruce it all up. 

2 hours ago, Pathfinder said:

I could see keeping the intro with Kelsier killing the land owner. I could also see the introduction of Vin (not as drawn out) via Camon trying to dupe the obligator.

I had a thought earlier today that introducing Vin by having her being beat up for trying to escape Camon's gang might be a shocking and captivating start (as well as provide some instant sympathy points for Vin). But keeping Kelsier's actions at the beginning of the movie is definitely the wisest choice for the moment. 

2 hours ago, Pathfinder said:

I think the Noble Balls will be cut down a bunch. The recruitment of rebels could be streamlined.

Agreed on both points.

2 hours ago, Pathfinder said:

I do think Vin's one on one with each misting would be needed to help introduce new people to the magic. 

In his current lectures (Lecture # 5 I believe) Sanderson mentioned that he's combining Kelsier's attack on House Venture with teaching Vin the metals, so maybe the one-on-ones aren't as necessary for the magic, but they will most assuredly help flesh out the world and the crew. 

2 hours ago, Karger said:

I know he has talked about it a bunch but is it really reasonable to expect a movie any time in the immediate forever?

I'd say maybe by 2025 or so? Sanderson finishes it by the end of this year, pitches it around early next year in-between books, and gets a deal by the end of 2021 or 2022? From there the studio finds a director, starts looking at actors and locations, and moves into pre-production...a few months of filming (3 at most I'd say), far more in post-production, and a solid release window for late March 2024 to try and capture the Spring Break crowd? (He then wins an Oscar for best screenplay adaptation, with fans from this movie wondering how the author of the book feels about the changes...only to find out the author of the book and the screenplay writer are the same person (but different Sanderbots, clearly).)  I think it also depends on how well the Wheel of Time and Lord of the Rings shows do (and how well The Witcher does long-term). Maybe Dark One too, if it gets off the ground in the meantime. 

Or maybe it'll never get a release, but the activity itself will help with creative projects down the line. 

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3 minutes ago, Use the Falchion said:

Or maybe it'll never get a release, but the activity itself will help with creative projects down the line. 

Gripes something nonsensical about how he should be working on stormlight five or lost metal.

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1 hour ago, Elegy said:

Don't do it Brandon, they will find a way to ruin it.

Anyway, I'm only half joking, but on a more serious note, I'm very skeptical. You'd think that someone who writes good books would also write good screenplays, but that's not necessarily the way it works. They're very different mediums and I'm not convinced that Brandon's way of writing translates well from one to the other. After all, adapting one of his fantasy epics to a Graphic Novel didn't work well either. I'm certainly not the one to question his work division decisions, but I'd rather have him work on something else.

So true.  The Fantastic Beasts series is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of authors jumped into screenwriting and it didn't go well.

Not to say it can't go well.  Princess Bride was a novel first, and then the same author wrote the screenplay (with screenplay experience, however).  One of my favourite films - Hopscotch was also written by the author of the book that came first, that went well.

But in general, films of books, I have not enjoyed them.  Stardust is an exception.  Neil Gaiman does have screenplay writing experience, so it's interesting that he did not write the screenplay for that film (he was one of 3 Producers, however).  Edit: turns out the Stardust screenwriter didn't have screenwriting experience either.  Wow!

 

I dunno.  I feel I don't want to get my hopes up for media-changing.  I've come to realise that I just really like books more than most other media.

Edited by Snorkel
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11 minutes ago, Karger said:

Gripes something nonsensical about how he should be working on stormlight five or lost metal.

I too would prefer Stormlight 4 and then The Lost Metal right after, and I do think this is will "delay" TLM until late 2022 most likely (Sanderson might experience some burn out, or bring himself right to the line of it and then choose to write Skyward 3 & 4 instead...which I love as well, but storm it I want my Mistborn 7 too!). But on the bright side, if the movie does work out and if it is good, then we can get a lot of new fans! 

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16 minutes ago, Use the Falchion said:

I think it also depends on how well the Wheel of Time and Lord of the Rings shows do (and how well The Witcher does long-term). Maybe Dark One too, if it gets off the ground in the meantime. 

Which has me thinking, Mistborn would be better as a tv show imo.

Perhaps Joe Straczynski can talk some sense into him and they'll collaborate on Mistborn the tv series XD

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1 minute ago, Snorkel said:

Which has me thinking, Mistborn would be better as a tv show imo.

Perhaps Joe Straczynski can talk some sense into him and they'll collaborate on Mistborn the tv series XD

Mistborn might be one of the few properties that could work as either. For this series, I think changing the medium requires a change of genre focus, and keeping the shorter time limit of a movie might allow Brandon to keep the heist aspect at the front of the series. Making the original series a tv show would require focusing on the politics of high society (which could be nice to see Vin interact with more women). 

I originally wanted Wax & Wayne to be a tv show, but looking at it now, they're definitely the perfect length for a movie. 

 

Although this is something I just thought of - this movie is basically Sanderson's chance to go back and make all those changes to an earlier book every writer wishes they could do! Adding a woman to the crew, maybe having Vin interact with more women outside of balls, fleshing out some of the characters more, little stuff like that. 

 

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32 minutes ago, Snorkel said:

So true.  The Fantastic Beasts series is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of authors jumped into screenwriting and it didn't go well.

Not to say it can't go well.  Princess Bride was a novel first, and then the same author wrote the screenplay (with screenplay experience, however).  One of my favourite films - Hopscotch was also written by the author of the book that came first, that went well.

But in general, films of books, I have not enjoyed them.  Stardust is an exception.  Neil Gaiman does have screenplay writing experience, so it's interesting that he did not write the screenplay for that film (he was one of 3 Producers, however).  Edit: turns out the Stardust screenwriter didn't have screenwriting experience either.  Wow!

 

I dunno.  I feel I don't want to get my hopes up for media-changing.  I've come to realise that I just really like books more than most other media.

One of the best book-to-film adaptations I know of is The Martian. Apparently it's one of the most faithful adaptations out there, and the film version WORKS, really well. It doesn't feel clunky, and it makes sense in film form too.

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I feel very strongly that Brandon is going to make Ham a woman in the screenplay considering his past comments. It feels weird, but I guess it could work. I do think the personality would have to be substantially altered while still keeping the core aspects of Ham. I just don't feel like a copy-and-paste would feel natural.

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15 hours ago, Use the Falchion said:

I had a thought earlier today that introducing Vin by having her being beat up for trying to escape Camon's gang might be a shocking and captivating start (as well as provide some instant sympathy points for Vin). But keeping Kelsier's actions at the beginning of the movie is definitely the wisest choice for the moment. 

I may have phrased what I wrote incorrectly. To clarify, when I said shorten Vin's introduction, I meant more the waiting portion. So basically include Camon duping the obligator. Remove the necessity of them coming back a second time to confirm Vin's soothing. Have Kelsier and Dockson present to observe, and see the inquisitor. Then cut straight to back at the hide out. Show Vin getting beaten, then Kelsier arriving. Cut the time where she waits. Cut the time where she speaks to the other crew mate. Have the scene where Kelsier kicks out the rest of the crew come right after, with Breeze and the rest arrive. Then have then discover Camon being dead, tortured by the inquisitors after Vin joins up. Basically I am saying keep the big moments, but stream line it a bit. 

15 hours ago, Use the Falchion said:

In his current lectures (Lecture # 5 I believe) Sanderson mentioned that he's combining Kelsier's attack on House Venture with teaching Vin the metals, so maybe the one-on-ones aren't as necessary for the magic, but they will most assuredly help flesh out the world and the crew. 

Hmmm, true. It would certainly stream line it. Though I feel it would result in missing out, as you said, on character introduction and development. Hmmm. 

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Re: writing screenplays -- Brandon is (to my understanding) working with J Michael Straczynski on his "Dark One" TV pilot, and JMS is a very accomplished writer/producer for TV. He literally wrote every script for more than 4 years for "Babylon 5" - while not perfect, it's still seen as one of the best genre shows ever, especially re: character development. So the potential that Brandon might get insights on the "how" from JMS, added to his own awesomeness and the spectacular story of Mistborn, makes me more confident that he'll avoid pitfalls that others (like Rowling) have fallen into.

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*pops in and rambles about how Mistborn would look amazing if it was animated*

I mean, think about how it would look. The red sky, the black ash, Kredik Shaw looming in the distance. Imagine how fluid it could look, watching Vin soar between the rooftops, or the Kelsier vs Inquisitor fight. I feel like it would take a lot of effort to make some aspects of the book seem realistic with live action, but with animation it would feel a lot more natural. 

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16 minutes ago, The Awakened Salad said:

*pops in and rambles about how Mistborn would look amazing if it was animated*

That's what I've been saying! Mix 2D and 3D animation for some sick camera tricks and you wouldn't have to worry about CGI overload on the Inquisitors or casting issues.

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  • 1 month later...

Honestly - I'm overly excited (as the MB series is my favorite of the cosmere books), but because of this I am extremely nervous about seeing a screenplay. Me and my wife have talked about which books would do well in movie form - TV series - etc. I love fantasy and I hate seeing my favorite fantasy books go into a media production and then be terrible. For Mistborn - to truly capture the nature of a mistborn, I just don't think you can do it well enough in live action. I think a lot of the Cosmere would do extremely well in an animated medium. I could see Elantris, Warbreaker, and even some of SL live action - but Mistborn I just don't know that it could be captured well enough in a live action setting. Also, doing it through an animation mini-series would give more screen time to aptly capture the detail of the magic systems and proper character development. One thing to remember is that the movie/TV presentation is not only for the fans, but is a marketing tool to reach out to others that either are into fantasy, but not got into the Cosmere, or those that are not into fantasy, and this could be their introduction to the genre. Also - another pro to using an animated mini-series through a netflix/amazon/etc. is that that seems to be the most widely accepted distribution system over conventional movie theaters.

The other part about taking fantasy to the live action is getting the right director that doesn't destroy the undertones of the book. I know this can never be perfectly captured, but lets just say there are those that are much more successful than others. So I would say that hopefully the director would be priority in keeping to the undertones of the books.

 

Anyways - I could go on and on, but I don't need to draft a white paper on the debate of taking a book to the big screen (or small screen). I truly hope the best for Brandon and all of the Sanderson fandom! Just know that you are giving all of us unprecedented cases of anxiety as we wait to see the development of the Cosmere, and especially taking it to the big/small screen!! 

best!

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Personally I think Brandon could do it, but I wouldn't want him to overextend himself. I actually thought when I first read Mistborn that is would make an amazing video game. I was thinking like open world type, basically like the Witcher games but Mistborn. But whatever he wants to do, I'll always check it out. But my first love of Brandon's are his books and they always will be.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 3/11/2020 at 6:11 PM, Elegy said:

Don't do it Brandon, they will find a way to ruin it.

Anyway, I'm only half joking, but on a more serious note, I'm very skeptical. You'd think that someone who writes good books would also write good screenplays, but that's not necessarily the way it works. They're very different mediums and I'm not convinced that Brandon's way of writing translates well from one to the other. After all, adapting one of his fantasy epics to a Graphic Novel didn't work well either. I'm certainly not the one to question his work division decisions, but I'd rather have him work on something else.

The biggest issue with White Sand were the artists adapting it. And the multiple artists. The third book was probably the best in terms of that. Also, I don’t think Brandon was directly involved in the translation to a visual medium.

Mario Puzo helped write The Godfather’s screenplay, and it was wonderful.
 

How well these adaptations work often depends on how willing the author is hear constructive criticism, and how good the director is at interpreting it. I’m actually more concerned about who the director is.

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