Brandon Sanderson opens up about the problem with Hollywood adaptations

As a seasoned film critic with decades of experience under my belt, I’ve seen more than my fair share of Hollywood adaptations that left me scratching my head and muttering “What on Earth was that?” Brandon Sanderson’s heart-wrenching tale of his novel, The Emperor’s Soul, being butchered by an ambitious screenwriter is a prime example of why so many readers have come to dread the silver screen versions of their beloved books.

Recently, acclaimed author Brandon Sanderson shared an experience from his earlier days in publishing, where a movie studio acquired the rights to adapt one of his novels – “The Emperor’s Soul” (published in 2012) – for the big screen. This discussion revolved around challenges faced when Hollywood adapts novels.

As reported by Sanderson, the chosen screenwriter for the project had impressive credentials and seemed incredibly eager about the venture. In reality, it was him who initially convinced the production team to choose that particular option. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, laying the groundwork for The Emperor’s Soul to have a promising adaptation, as far as Sanderson was concerned. However, things took a turn for the worse later on.

Approximately a year following the acquisition of the story, Sanderson went through the screenwriter’s draft. The occurrences portrayed in it were mostly unfamiliar to him:

The character names were, largely, the same, though nothing that happened to them was remotely similar to the story. Emperor’s Soul is a small-scale character drama that takes place largely in one room, with discussions of the nature of art between two characters who approach the idea differently. The screenplay detailed an expansive fantasy epic with a new love interest for the main character (a pirate captain). They globe-trotted, they fought monsters, they explored a world largely unrelated to mine, save for a few words here and there. It was then that I realized what was going on.

It seems that the writer had planned to leverage Sanderson’s conceit as a stepping stone for his own career in fantasy writing. In his Reddit post, Sanderson clarifies that Hollywood seldom purchases spec scripts, particularly those centered around epic fantasy plots, from screenwriters directly. This is because such grand narratives are usually too extensive and costly for studios to gamble on producing them without a well-known intellectual property (IP) to support them first.

The writer of “The Emperor’s Soul” script seemed determined to express a personal narrative within this genre, yet required a means to amass the resources needed. Unfortunately, that medium turned out to be Sanderson’s tale, which the screenwriter significantly altered to suit his own aims, disregarding the original author’s intentions. This writer felt compelled to make such changes as it was the only feasible way for him to bring his cherished project to life.

According to Sanderson, one significant challenge often encountered in Hollywood adaptations is the high degree of pressure generated by such an environment.

Screenwriters and directors are creative, and want to tell their own stories, but it’s almost impossible to get those made in things like the fantasy genre unless you’re a huge established name like [James] Cameron. I’m not saying they all do this deliberately, as that screenwriter did for my work, but I think it’s an unconscious influence. They want to tell their stories, and this is the allowed method, so when given the chance at freedom they go off the rails, and the execs don’t know the genre or property well enough to understand why this can lead to disaster.

It seems that the likelihood of a work being poorly adapted or deviating significantly from its original source might explain why many audiences today find themselves in complex relationships with these adaptations. For instance, films such as “World War Z” and TV shows like “House of the Dragon,” which is based on George R.R. Martin’s book “Fire & Blood,” have been subjects of public disagreements between the authors and showrunners over changes made from the source material.

Ultimately, Sanderson’s story highlights the flaws within the creative industry, which often encourages budding fantasy screenwriters to distort other authors’ intellectual properties for the sake of producing a project. This is an essential consideration as we venture further into times when books and video games are being adapted for screens at unprecedented rates.

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2024-11-01 21:41