Brandon Mull is 'cautiously optimistic' as 'Fablehaven' movie takes shape

SALT LAKE CITY — After nearly 20 years of enduring false starts, "Fablehaven" is well on its way to becoming a movie, and author Brandon Mull genuinely believes the pieces are coming together.

Within the first few months of its 2006 release, "Fablehaven" gained strong traction and continued to build momentum, eventually selling over 3.5 million copies and landing on The New York Times bestseller list.

The fantasy adventure quickly caught Hollywood's attention and was optioned several times, but none of those plans came to fruition. That changed when Mull met Cameron Sawyer, who bought the film rights and is now directing the "Fablehaven" adaptation.

Now, as the adaptation is beginning to take shape, Brandon Mull sounds like he finally trusts it is going to happen.

Watching the early phases of the film coming together has been "exciting," Mull told a crowd at FanX on Saturday afternoon, adding that he still thinks it's too early to celebrate.

"It's just gradually unfolding," Mull said. "I've seen it almost happen enough that I'm not going to get too excited. There's only so many times I can go into my bedroom and throw glitter, before it starts to get kind of sad."

"I'm like cautiously optimistic still," he continued. "Because I don't want to like be on an emotional roller coaster over the whole thing."

Mull said he chose to work with Sawyer after reading his screenplay, which proves he really understands the story. He added that he is grateful that Sawyer and the rest of the team behind the film are keeping the story "family-friendly" and he hopes the film will "knock it out of the park."

Here are some more updates on the "Fablehaven" film Mull shared during his FanX panel.

Casting is underway

Casting remains one of the final hurdles to clear before filming can begin — which Sawyer hopes will be this spring.

They are currently in the final stages of casting for the roles of the leading kids, Kendra and Seth, as well as Grandma, Grandpa, Muriel and other characters.

Mull said he's seen a number of auditions for secondary characters that have blown him away, with actors making "the character better than I had it in my head."

There are several recognizable actors being considered for the film, Mull said, though he repeatedly emphasized that he does not want to announce any names until their contracts are signed.

Sawyer teased that he recently met with an actor who he described as an "American icon" and a "sex symbol of the 1980s" for the role of Grandpa.

"He is obsessed with this and he wants to play Grandpa. We're negotiating with his agents right now. That's all I'll say right now," Sawyer said. "We're excited about that, and we're just making strides."

Practical effects will be used over AI

When asked whether they would use generative AI to create the effects, Sawyer said they are open to using whatever technology will make the movie look better. However, the plan is to lean heavily on practical effects.

"I can assure you this: If it will make the movie better, we'll use whatever technology. If it's not going to look better, we will not use it," Sawyer said. "And I can also tell you this: we'll use practical effects way more than you traditionally see in Hollywood."

Sawyer added that "one of the best practical artists" is helping with the film, but practical effects are sometimes limiting, so they will use whatever looks best in the film.

Plan on multiple movies

Sawyer said his goal is to make one film for each "Fablehaven" book, and described his vision as a franchise.

Mull rounded out "Fablehaven" as a five-book series, each of which reached the top of The New York Times bestseller list. He has also published two "Fablehaven" spin-off series — "Dragonwatch" and "Tales of Newal and Doren."

Together, they hope to adapt the spin-off books into films and have also discussed a prequel.

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