Brandon Sanderson' Mistborn has been stuck in development for some time, and with another pause in place, I'm worried the next fancast for Vin will age out of the role. Despite Sanderson's considerable success as a fantasy author, he has yet to receive a completed film adaptation. However, studios are definitely interested, and Sanderson has been actively working towards seeing his stories adapted for a number of years.
In 2005, Brandon Sanderson became a published author, after already writing over a dozen novels throughout his studies as a young man. From there, his incredible proficiency has meant that he has published over 70 books, with his most popular series being Mistborn. In 2010, the movie rights for Mistborn were acquired by Paloppa Pictures LLC, but the development since then has been painfully slow. Now, with Sanderson announcing the film has been put on hold in his annual report (via WiC), Dafne Keen, the latest favorite actress for the role, could outgrow the role.
The Mistborn Movie's Delays Mean Dafne Keen Probably Won't Be Able To Play Vin
The Mistborn Movie Probably Won't Begin Filming For Several Years
As of 2024, Dafne Keen turned 19 years old. While this is still very youthful, and Keen is likely to continue playing a character who is in their teens for some time, Vin is supposed to be 16 at the start of the Mistborn trilogy. Actors typically have a fair amount of wiggle room when it comes to playing characters at or around their ages, but for a series that is expected to kick off the Cosmere on the big screen, it needs to get the casting of Vin right, and they need to potentially be able to play the role for years to come.
The Mistborn Movie Can't Shy Away From The Best Part Of Vin's Character
Vin is an outstanding protagonist because of her complexity, and a Mistborn movie can't shy away from exploring the entirety of her character.
Keen will be 20 in 2025, and with the Mistborn movie on hold once again, it is unlikely to progress in any meaningful way over the next year or more. So, by the time the movie starts filming in 2026 or beyond, Keen will already be more than half a decade older than Vin. While it may be sad and frustrating for the long-suffering Sanderfans, It appears highly unlikely that Keen will end up in Mistborn.
One Perfect Vin Actor Already Aged Out Of The Role Since The Movie Was Announced
Maisie Williams Could Have Been The Perfect Vin
Considering the books movie rights were purchased back in 2010, Keen is not the first actress to be tied to the role of Vin. When news first broke of the Mistborn adaptation, another young actress was perfectly positioned to tackle the role of the stubborn and strong young Allomancer, Maisie Williams. Williams became incredibly popular due to the success of Game of Thrones in 2011, and her stunning performance as Arya Stark. Despite being the youngest daughter and one of the least physically imposing, Arya proved that her bite was far worse than her bark.
Actors typically have a fair amount of wiggle room when it comes to playing characters at or around their ages, but for a series that is expected to kick off the Cosmere on the big screen, it needs to get the casting of Vin right
Williams was another perfect casting to play Vin, with the character of Arya Stark having some elements in common, and Williams being just 14 in 2011. She could have easily played Vin, and stuck with the role for many years. However, her time to play the character came and went, and now she is 27 and playing very different roles in film and TV. At this rate, it feels unlikely that any of the current favorites to play Vin would still be the right age by the time the movie gets made.
I'm Starting To Lose Hope That The Mistborn Movie Will Happen At All
With Delays And Creative Struggles, It May Never Happen
And, not to be incredibly bleak, but with so many delays and now being put on hold until further notice, it just feels as though the movie won't happen at all. Or, at the very least, in the next five to 10 years. Whether its down to creative differences, the script not being perfect, or Sanderson himself being unhappy with the directions that studios would like to take with the story, it seems like there is too much to overcome. This is typical for the fantasy genre, as despite incredible and expansive stories being made, the adaptations can be nearly impossible to get right.
The Mistborn Movie Is The Perfect Replacement For This $9.5 Billion Fantasy Franchise
Mistborn's best comparison for a movie aesthetic would be this $9.5 billion fantasy franchise, which has struggled over the past decade.
It took almost 50 years for Tolkien's incredible Middle Earth stories to get a proper epic adaptation, despite smaller adaptations attempting to recreate the magic of Mordor. It also took a similar stretch of time for the Chronicles of Narnia to be adapted to film, and even then, the series had ups and downs, with a new series on Netflix in the works to hopefully get it right. Fantasy is a notoriously difficult genre to adapt from books, and if it doesn't happen soon, the Mistborn movie may not happen at all. But either way, it's unlikely to happen with Dafne Keen playing the lead.
