Apple TV’s new fantasy series could be what Rings of Power wishes it was

If sometimes feels like the age of streaming has a constant throughline to it – every major streaming platform keeping an eye out for mega-franchises that it can sign on to adapt, in the hopes of drawing in fans and newcomers alike. From Game of Thrones to Fallout, if you can nab a major brand, there's every chance you could create a massive hit with some pre-existing goodwill.

I'd argue that, Thrones aside, it's a little easier to find success on that front with sci-fi adaptations than with fantasy ones. Sure, they're all broadly speculative fiction, but it feels like there have been fewer huge, breakout fantasy shows – perhaps the likes of Outlander count, but only somewhat.

Amazon's a great example; when it announced a glossy adaptation of the huge The Wheel of Time novel series, people were immediately wary that it might not be committed enough to get through the whole thing, and they proved right. After three seasons, it's been unceremoniously cancelled.

The Rings of Power, arguably something that stole the limelight from The Wheel of Time, is more likely to limp on to its conclusion in a few years, but it's only had two seasons so far, and both have been extremely underwhelming – although Amazon's adamant it's happy with the viewership of the show.

So, the fact that Apple just announced a huge fantasy partnership for its streaming platform should make people pay attention, for a few reasons. Firstly, the fact that it's teaming up with novelist Brandon Sanderson puts it in a partnership with a writer who habitually resides in the best-seller charts, and who's massively prolific.

The agreement pertains to the Cosmere, one of his fictional universes and the setting for two of his most popular series: Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive. The first will be a movie series, apparently, and come first, while the second will be a TV show that takes a little more time to cook up.

Crucially, Sanderson says that Apple is fine for him to be a truly controlling element of the fictional universe – he has final approval for seemingly everything, and will be part of the writing and production process rather than just credited as a creator or source. So, first up, he'll be writing the script for Mistborn, rather than handing it over to someone else.

That comes with some major risks (a good, best-selling novelist is not automatically a great scriptwriter), but Apple clearly considers it all worthwhile given Sanderson's audience. From his point of view, meanwhile, he's clearly had suitors before that haven't passed muster. After all, he co-authored the final novels of The Wheel of Time, so he knows full well how frustrating an aborted adaptation can be.

This all makes for a really interesting situation, and it's one that will clearly take at least a few years before any of us get to see any outcome. Once Sanderson's written the movie that'll open the deal, it'll need to be shot, finished and then released, so don't brace yourself for any of that to happen imminently.

If everyone involved can thread the needle, though, this could be an opportunity for Apple TV to do what Prime Video never managed – to make a truly great fantasy streaming franchise that also gets the viewership needed to run and run.