Stormlight Season 1's TV Rating Addressed By Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson has addressed the possible TV rating for The Stormlight Archive season 1, unpacking his expectations for the series. The upcoming Apple TV adaptation of The Stormlight Archive pulls from the pages of Sanderson’s epic fantasy series of the same name. The book series takes place on the world of Roshar, which is constantly pummeled by violent storms across various continents. Its story centers around the Knights Radiant, a magical order of beings whose combined powers are destined to help save the world from certain destruction.

Now, speaking on his Halloween livestream Brandon and Emily Sanderson Present: A Night of Fan Mail on Halloween 2026, Sanderson spoke about his expectations for what The Stormlight Archive TV show will be rated. Responding to the question, “What do you intend for the content rating your adaptations to be?” he said he wants his adaptations to be “Marvel movie level,” implying a PG-13 or TV-14 aim.

But he says he wouldn’t be surprised if The Stormlight Archive winds up with a TV-MA rating. This is because of major battle sequences in season 1 that could end up pushing the boundaries of the show beyond a possible TV-14 ratings. Check out what Sanderson had to say below:

Most of them would be Marvel movie level. Snapshot has constantly been under option, that’s a serial killer thriller, that would probably be R-rated if it were made. Stormlight, I mean, there are some battle scenes in there that I don’t know would be… it’s probably going to be TV-MA. But I think there’s going to be some war scenes in Stormlight. We’ll have to see.

Most of them would be Marvel movie level. Snapshot has constantly been under option, that’s a serial killer thriller, that would probably be R-rated if it were made. Stormlight, I mean, there are some battle scenes in there that I don’t know would be… it’s probably going to be TV-MA. But I think there’s going to be some war scenes in Stormlight. We’ll have to see.

Based on his statement, it appears Sanderson is aiming for other Cosmere installments, such as his upcoming Mistborn movie, to be more aligned with a PG-13 typical of Marvel movies. However, because The Stormlight Archive can sometimes deal with more intense themes while also featuring battles that could grow violent onscreen, its TV-MA rating seems almost inevitable. Given the complex history of Roshar coupled with the many tribulations of its characters, it wouldn’t be surprising if the series dug into its darker themes in more detail.

Although it’s unclear how dark the fantasy epic novel series will get when translated from page to screen, Sanderson’s biggest concern for content appears to only be violence. This means the adaptation likely isn’t going to include TV-MA content that’s too graphic outside of battles. But, since these can be fairly intense in the novel, and will likely be even flashier when adapted onscreen, it makes sense for Sanderson to consider a TV-MA rating for the books.

Alongside the development of The Stormlight Archive, Sanderson is also working on the second draft of his Mistborn movie script. His young adult novel series Skyward has also been picked up for adaptation by Tomorrow Studios, best known for their work on the recent live-action One Piece for Netflix. The Stormlight Archive is just one of many onscreen projects Sanderson is juggling, but it’s most certainly one of the biggest in his forthcoming catalog.

With the series poised to have a TV-MA rating once the adaptation comes out, it remains to be seen just how hard The Stormlight Archive will push the envelope. But, if it’s anything like the books, then violence will be the only major factor that keeps it from achieving a TV-14 rating instead. It may be just one element, but it will keep the Apple TV adaptation faithful to the source material, not compromising Sanderson’s vision for the story.

The Stormlight Archive