The Mistborn movie adaptation has recently gotten a disappointing update. Any future production has been halted, according to Brandon Sanderson’s blog. While there have been plenty of thrilling announcements in terms of Sanderson’s literary endeavors, there are certain elements of screen adaptations that are out of Sanderson’s control. Who would’ve been cast in a Mistborn movie adaptation is one of the biggest questions on fans’ minds. Though Sanderson couldn’t reveal potential performers, there are some actors who he confirmed wouldn’t have been in the film. Like any author, Sanderson has opinions about what actors would be right for his characters.

The Mistborn movie status is disappointing, but there’s no question that the development of the project would’ve been equally controversial. Longtime fans of Sanderson and the Mistborn series have a lot of exciting ideas and expectations about what a film version would be. This creates a lot of potential for satisfaction and disappointment. It’s impossible to please everyone, but there have been cases when the audience’s opinion was taken into consideration when casting high-profile roles. However, it’s likely for the best that some performers were never going to be part of Mistborn.

Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn Movie Update Calls Out Fantasy’s Most Worn-Out Fancasting

Sanderson is aware of actors who are fancast many times over

In Sanderson’s yearly blog post, State of Sanderson, the author mentioned that though since the Mistborn movie adaptation came so close to reality, there were some big names already attached to the potential project (via Brandon Sanderson). However, he made it explicitly clear that Henry Cavill was not one of those names. This tongue-in-cheek reference to the overly-cast Cavill is a subtle call-out about how cyclical the film industry can be, especially within the fantasy genre. Of course, Cavill is a great actor and plays a compelling hero, but it can be tiring to see the same names thrown around.

Although every Brandon Sanderson book adaptation won’t include Mistborn anymore, there’s still hope that it could resurface in the future. If this is the case, then it’s likely that Sanderson won’t be bringing Cavill into the fold for casting anytime soon in Mistborn or any other series. Though Cavill’s a versatile actor and can mold himself into any role, this doesn’t mean that he should be part of every fancasting, especially after he’s purposefully stepped back from one of the major fantasy franchises he was a part of.

Why We Need To Stop Fancasting Henry Cavill In Every Major Fantasy Project

Cavill shouldn’t be the go-to actor for every heroic and powerful character

Since The Witcher is replacing Henry Cavill with Liam Hemsworth for seasons 4 and 5, this does open the door for Cavill to get more work in fantasy movies and additional TV shows. However, casting Cavill in a potential Mistborn screen adaptation and continuously tapping him for major franchises is going in the wrong direction for the performer. Even though he’s leaving The Witcher behind, it will be difficult to stop ᴀssociating him with Geralt for a long time, so it wouldn’t make sense for him to jump into another franchise that likely has a lot of fandom overlap.

Additionally, The Witcher is far from the only major fantasy universe that Cavill has been a part of, as it wasn’t too long ago that he was playing Superman for DC. Cavill deserves the opportunity to find himself outside of speculative fiction, and Mistborn, and fantasy stories in general, should have the opportunity to look for up-and-coming talent. This applies to most fantastical stories, but with Mistborn especially, the large fanbase guarantees that audiences will show up to theaters to see film adaptations, making it possible for newer performers to get the chance to shine.