Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Era 3 Gets Major Update

Published Aug 11, 2026, 7:33 PM EDT

Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer and TV critic who covers sci-fi shows like Doctor Who and Pluribus, fantasy shows like The Magicians and Percy Jackson, and horror of all kinds. They also cover Marvel and DC TV shows and movies, with a robust knowledge of comic books. Their TV reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.

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The Mistborn books were the first official series within Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe, and they remain fan-favorites because of their unique magic system and compelling characters. For this reason, the Mistborn movie announcement had an overwhelmingly positive reception. However, it also brought concern. The Mistborn books aren’t finished yet. He still needs to write Eras 3, 4, and possibly 5. Since Sanderson chose to write the movie script himself, he spent time away from his books. However, the first draft of Mistborn’s script is finished, and the author has provided a positive update about Ghostbloods, aka Mistborn Era 3.

On his August 11 YouTube update, Sanderson revealed that he has shifted his attention back to the first Ghostbloods book, and he’s making good progress. He may not have given it a title yet, but he finished his first draft in January 2026. He’s now 10% of the way through the second draft, which he only started after finishing the Mistborn script at the very end of July. He plans to have the entire book fully revised and ready to send to his team by late August or early September.

Mind you, readers won’t get the first Ghostbloods book until December 2028, which is a pretty set date according to the State of the Sanderson 2025. Traditional publishing takes a lot longer to get books to readers, and Sanderson has a clear writing plan for Ghostbloods now that he has the liberty to select his publication schedule. Sanderson plans to write all three books before the first one releases, as he did with Mistborn Era 1.

The update is still important, though, even if it hasn’t changed the release date, because Sanderson confirmed in a February 2026 weekly update on his YouTube channel that his writing schedule would be affected by the Apple TV deal. He also said that Ghostbloods should still be on time. However, fantasy fans have been burned before once Hollywood gets involved.

The Game of Thrones TV show changed everything. George R.R. Martin has been missing self-imposed deadlines to finish The Winds of Winter for years now (via Business Insider, ScreenRant, and LA Times), and Martin’s now writing more Dunk and Egg novellas when he hasn’t finished A Song of Ice and Fire. At this point, George R.R. Martin is Captain Ahab, and The Winds of Winter is his white whale.

While Sanderson is one of the most consistent authors in releases and book quality, there was a healthy dose of skepticism about his Ghostbloods release date. However, that doesn’t need to be a major concern. When speaking to IGN, Sanderson said his hard deadline to turn in the final draft of Ghostbloods book 1 was December 2026, two years ahead of its release. The fact that he’s still ahead of schedule with all his extra responsibilities is a good sign that the Mistborn Era 3 schedule hasn’t changed. He has extra work because of Apple TV+’s Mistborn movie, the two potential sequels, and the later The Stormlight Archive TV show. However, he’s still prioritizing his readers.

Sources: YouTube/Brandon Sanderson, State of the Sanderson 2025, YouTube/Brandon Sanderson, Business Insider, ScreenRant, LA Times, IGN

Character(s) Vin, Kelsier, Sazed, Marsh, Elend Venture, Waxillium "Wax" Ladrian, Wayne, Steris Harms