Legion (2012)

Legion is a science fiction fantasy novella, written by Brandon Sanderson, and released in 2012; it's the first book in the Legion trilogy.

Background
Sanderson wrote the first story on the flight home from France in the summer of 2011. It "came from an idea I'd been kicking around in my head for a few months, and the time seemed right to explore it on paper. When finished, I sent it out to my agent - and we had a Hollywood option by the end of the year.

Plot
Legion tells the story of Stephen Leeds, better known as 'Legion', a man whose unique mental condition allows him to generate multitude of personae. He is a brilliant problem solver, rich and quite good at what he does, helped by his hallucinations. However, he would rather be left alone, and that means no researchers or psychologists who want to get to the bottom of his abilities.

But then Legion receives a letter with a mysterious, impossible picture, and he can't resist traveling the world to search for answers. He must track down a missing inventor who disappeared with a camera that can take pictures of the past. Helped by Monica, who is also searching for the inventor, he travels to Jerusalem to solve the problem.

Reception
Legion has been well received by reviewers, one commenting: "This is the first time I wish a Brandon Sanderson story was longer than it ended up being. Maybe we'll get to read more about Stephen "Legion" Leeds in future stories or novels, if Sanderson finds the time between all his other projects. Leeds is definitely a character with enough depth to lead an entire novel, or even a series. Based on this short teaser novella and Sanderson's writing talent, Legion could be the starting point for a great contemporary fantasy/crime hybrid".

Television Rights
In 2013, Sanderson posted on his blog that Lionsgate has the rights for a Legion television show under option, and later said the TV rights were purchased by Lionsgate sometime in 2012. In 2016, Sanderson posted on Reddit that interest for making a series had dwindled after a show with the same name featuring a similar character from Marvel Comics' X-Men universe was announced.