Neither ‘Star Wars’ nor ‘The Godfather’: Brandon Sanderson picks the best trilogy in film history
The author of the Cosmere believes the director improved upon parts of the original work.
For Brandon Sanderson, the best film trilogy is a fantasy series. The creator of the Cosmere universe, who is currently working on the screenplay for the film adaptation of ‘Mistborn,’ has chosen ‘The Lord of the Rings’ over trilogies such as ‘Star Wars,’ ‘The Godfather,’ and ‘Indiana Jones.’
He revealed this in a recent episode of the Intentionally Blank podcast, where he stated that some of the additions made by Peter Jackson improve upon J. R. R. Tolkien’s original work: It was made knowing it would be a trilogy. ‘The Lord of the Rings’ had an advantage because it had the source material, but they could have ruined the original work and they didn’t,” he argued.
Two examples of improvements over the novels, according to Sanderson
Sanderson has revealed that he has just reread the novels: “There are a ton of places where Peter Jackson added a bunch that is great. The Interaction between Sam and Frodo where Sam leaves is better. It is stronger narratively. Helms Deep is way stronger. I know this is blasphemy, but Tolkien wrote the books in an era where he didn’t have what we have now — which is almost 75 years more of how to build arcs and how to deal with them.”
The ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy was the beginning. Peter Jackson returned behind the camera to direct ‘The Hobbit’, a trilogy that doesn’t enjoy the same prestige, though it continues to tell stories set in this cinematic universe. In 2024, ‘The War of the Rohirrim’, the animated film by Kenji Kamiyama, was released.
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What about the future? For now, viewers will be able to return to Middle-earth thanks to ‘The Hunt for Gollum’, directed by and starring Andy Serkis. Filming will begin in May, and the movie is set to premiere in December 2027. Later on, ‘Shadows of the Past’ will arrive, a sequel set more than a decade after Frodo’s departure.
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