Casting Vin For The Mistborn Movie: 8 Actors Who Are Perfect For The Role

A Mistborn movie has the potential to kickstart Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere on-screen and make the fantasy genre as big as superheroes, but it needs a great cast in order to succeed. Casting the right actor as Kelsier would go a long way towards winning fans over to an adaptation, as Kelsier is one of the strongest and most charming characters from the original trilogy. It’s also critical that a Mistborn movie nails Vin’s casting, as she’s the heroine of the entire first series. Getting moviegoers invested in her story is the only way to adapt the whole thing.

Vin is 16 years old when Mistborn opens, and she grows into young adulthood in The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages. Many popular fan castings, like Maisie Williams and Anya Taylor-Joy, have already aged out of the role. And even current up-and-coming stars might not be young enough to portray Vin if a Mistborn movie ever happens. However, if casting for a Mistborn film started soon, there are a number of stars who would prove excellent as Sanderson’s lead.

8 Dafne Keen

Known For: Deadpool & Wolverine, Logan, His Dark Materials

Dafne Keen is one of the most popular choices to play Vin in a Mistborn movie, and it’s easy to understand why this is the case. Looking at Vin on the covers of Sanderson’s Mistborn books, the resemblance between the character and Keen is uncanny. Keen looks the part, perhaps more so than any other actor, and that’s always a great starting point. However, the reason for Keen’s fan casting goes beyond her appearance. She also feels the best-suited to bring Vin to the big screen.

Keen has the star power to draw moviegoers to theaters, and her previous work proves she’s talented enough to capture Vin’s nuances. Her portrayal of X-23 in Logan and Deadpool & Wolverine is probably the best example of why Keen would nail the role of Mistborn‘s heroine. X-23 is also an abandoned child who learns what it means to find family, and she’s an effective fighter — just like Vin. Keen’s role in The Acolyte is equally promising when it comes to Keen’s choreography skills, and His Dark Materials shows she can handle adapting a book’s main character.

7 Millie Bobby Brown

Known For: Stranger Things, Damsel, Enola Holmes

Another actor who could easily helm a Mistborn movie is Millie Bobby Brown. Brown is best known for playing Eleven in Netflix’s Stranger Things, but she recently broke into the fantasy genre with her 2024 film Damsel. Brown also stars in Netflix’s Enola Holmes movies, and she appears in 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong. Needless to say, Brown’s star power would likely fill theaters with newcomers if she starred in a Mistborn film.

Brown’s projects highlight her range, and her performances in Stranger Things are evidence that she has the talent to lead a Mistborn movie. Eleven is a fairly complicated character, and Brown masterfully brings her to life. There’s little doubt she’d do the same for Vin, and she looks the part nearly as much as Keen. Thanks to Enola Holmes, we also know that Brown can adapt book characters. Mistborn‘s world is more complex than that of Enola Holmes, but Damsel proves Brown can take on fantasy narratives.

6 Bella Ramsey

Known For: The Last Of Us, Game Of Thrones

Maisie Williams is no longer an option to play Vin, but another Game of Thrones star could still tackle the role. Bella Ramsey plays Lyanna Mormont in the HBO series, and they do an impressive job of it. Despite appearing sporadically throughout Game of Thrones’ later seasons, Lyanna is a fan-favorite character. Ramsey is at least partially responsible for this, and they could probably transfer Lyanna’s spunk to a character like Vin.

Ramsey’s portrayal of Ellie in The Last of Us demonstrates their ability to successfully lead a show, and it’s one that’s adapted from a video game. Interpreting characters from any source material — whether it’s books, games, or something else entirely — isn’t always easy. But Ramsey delivers an impressive iteration of Ellie, and that offers hope they could do the same for Vin. Capturing Vin and Kelsier’s found family dynamic should also be easy for Ramsey after bouncing off Pedro Pascal’s Joel in The Last of Us.

5 Jenna Ortega

Known For: Wednesday, Scream, X

If a Mistborn movie is looking to capitalize on recognizable talent, it couldn’t do much better than casting Jenna Ortega as Vin. Ortega is one of the biggest young stars in Hollywood, and she has many of the same features that Vin does in Mistborn. Her dark hair and small stature would allow her to easily slip into the role, and she’s proven she can jump between character types and genres over the past few years. Although horror seems to be her most comfortable category, Wednesday leans into fantasy as well.

And Ortega’s most well-known projects are probably Wednesday and Scream, both of which demonstrate her ability to capture a range of emotional beats. The actor’s Scream character proves she can turn up the tension when necessary, while her Wednesday role sees her dialing back her emotions in favor of a more flat affect. Vin would likely fall somewhere in the middle, so it’s good to know that Ortega is capable of striking a balance. After playing Wednesday Addams, Ortega can probably handle just about any well-loved and iconic role, too.

4 McKenna Grace

Known For: Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Handmaid’s Tale

McKenna Grace is another name that regularly crops up when discussing a Mistborn movie, and although she doesn’t always look the part, her role in Ghostbusters: Afterlife reveals how dramatically she can change her appearance for film and TV projects. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is also a testament to McKenna’s ability to star in a major franchise and work alongside a fairly large cast. Both would come in handy if she were ever to play Vin in a Mistborn film.

Grace has given dramatically different performances throughout her career, with projects like The Handmaid’s Tale requiring a different skill set compared to Young Sheldon or Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Given that Grace can take on a leading role, jump genres, and play a wide range of characters, it’s a safe bet that she could handle Vin. If a Mistborn movie actually happens, she’s certainly a star the casting diretors should consider.

3 Freya Allan

Known For: The Witcher, Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

Freya Allan isn’t typically mentioned as an actor who could play Vin, which is somewhat surprising given she’s in the right age range. Perhaps it’s because most people associate her with Princess Ciri from The Witcher, whose blonde hair and light features are a far cry from the way Mistborn‘s heroine is described. However, seeing Allan with darker hair in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes makes me think she could pass as Vin.

Allan certainly has the fantasy genre down already, as she excels at playing Ciri in The Witcher. Her development in the Netflix series is impressive, and it inspires confidence in her ability to lead a Mistborn adaptation. Allan also captures the same found family dynamic with Henry Cavill’s Geralt that she’d need to portray with Vin and Kelsier. Her training sequences in The Witcher also make me think she’d handle Mistborn‘s magic system well.

2 Rachel Zegler

Known For: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes, West Side Story

Rachel Zegler is another star becoming more and more recognizable in recent years, with her role in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes catapulting her to new levels of fame —​​​​ something Disney’s live-action Snow White is likely to repeat in 2025. Zegler has dark hair and eyes, matching Vin’s description in the Mistborn books. She also knows how to successfully bring a character from the page to the screen. She does so with Lucy Gray in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, radiating main character energy the entire time.

While Vin probably has more in common with Katniss than Lucy, Zegler has impressive acting chops — enough so that I’d take a chance on her as Mistborn‘s lead. Most of her projects have seen her playing flashy and musical characters, so it’d be interesting to see what she does with a very different archetype. Zegler’s involvement would also increase interest in a Mistborn adaptation, bringing in longtime fans and newcomers alike.

1 Momona Tamada

Known For: Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Baby-Sitters Club, The Spiderwick Chronicles

Momona Tamada is less experienced than some of the other stars on this list, but she has the right look to play Vin in a Mistborn movie — and her most recent projects suggest an interest in the fantasy genre. Tamada appears as Ty Lee in Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender and Emiko in The Spiderwick Chronicles. While neither sees her tackling a lead role, both of these projects prove she can handle complex narratives, as well as adapted characters.

Tamada also stars in Netflix’s adaptation of The Baby-Sitters Club, demonstrating that she can adapt a character from a popular book series. She’s never led a major franchise like Mistborn before, but lesser-known stars are often the right choice for such projects. Unlike Ortega or Zegler, Tamada wouldn’t have the baggage that comes with being automatically associated with another character. This could benefit an adaptation of Sanderson’s work, making the actor synonymous with Vin and Mistborn rather than some other series.