Henry Cavill is known for being an avid nerd who seeks out roles to match: just look at his performance in The Witcher or his involvement in upcoming Highlander and Warhammer projects as proof. Meanwhile, Brandon Sanderson is one of the most popular fantasy writers working today; he has a new book in his Stormlight Archive series, Wind and Truth, coming later this year.
It's no shock that Cavill admires Sanderson's work. In fact, as Sanderson tells it in an interview posted to the Instagram fan page @cosmere_junkie, Cavill once rang up Sanderson out of the blue and inquired about playing Kaladin, one of the protagonists of The Stormlight Archive, in an eventual adaptation of those books.
Kaladin is a warrior and leader living on the world of Roshar, which is beset by constant harsh storms. On the surface, this feels like a great match, but there are some issues. "When Henry Cavill called me and was like: ‘I’m too old for Kaladin, aren’t I?’" Sanderson remembered. "I’m like: ‘Yes, and he’s also Asian.’”
Sanderson says it was cool to get the call, despite the fact that both he and Cavill were aware that it wouldn’t be a good fit. “He had read the books and knew that it just wouldn’t work, but it was kind of heartbreaking when he called me," Sanderson remembered. "He was like: ‘Man, I don’t think I can be Kaladin, can I?’ And I was like: ‘No, I don’t think you can be.’”
Some fans appear not to care that Cavill isn’t the right age or race. “I don't care if it breaks the lore. If Henry gets to play Kal, I'm here for it!” writes Instagram user @scottllyx in one of the most-liked comments on the video.
Still, Sanderson is someone who is wary of Hollywood adaptations of his work, as we’ve reported on in the past. This tells us that he wants to do Stormlight Archive the right way, and unfortunately that means finding someone other than Cavill to play the lead.
Lucky for us fans, though, Sanderson also said that he’s excited to collaborate with Cavill in the future: "I’m sure I’ll work with Henry on something at some point. He’s a cool guy, and an uber nerd, and he makes cool stuff."
Sanderson and Cavill are two of the biggest names in their fields, and it’s thrilling to think of the possibilities of what fantasy fiction’s most prolific luminary could create with one of acting’s most striking and lovable nerds.
Perhaps a Mistborn adaptation is in their collective future? It’s intriguing to think about what Cavill’s rendition of Kelsier would be like. We’ll leave it at that for now but certainly can’t wait for what’s to come!
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