Amazon’s ‘The Wheel of Time’ Series: What We Know So Far
Amazon has been teasing fans with its upcoming fantasy series The Wheel of Time since 2018, and following a recent update from the showrunner Rafe Judkins, it is evident that the fans have a lot to look forward to.
The live-action adaptation of Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson's fantasy novel series of the same name will be delivered to screens worldwide by November 2021.
How Long Will Amazon’s ‘The Wheel of Time’ Series Run For?
Right off the bat, the source material for the epic fantasy series spans over fourteen novels. Hence, the studio has quite a lot of ground to cover.
Despite the bounty of material to draw from, Judkins and his team will have to accommodate that the novel commands a massive fandom. Hence, recreating a series with over 90 million copies sold is no joke.
That being said, Judkins announced during his virtual attendance on Comic-Con that he already has eight seasons of the TV adaptation planned out.
The studio also seems to have quite a lot of confidence in the series' success, as they green-lit the second season well before the first season even aired.
How Faithful Will It Be to Robert Jordan’s Fantasy Series?
While the massive source material to pull from gave the creators ample content to work with, it came with its set of challenges. The most prominent one being that there is a bit too much plot to be covered.
The show will have to catch up on centuries of history, a plethora of characters, and geography that is literally out of this world. On the downside, the show might lose appeal to the millions of longtime fans of the story.
Understandably, Judkins made no bones about the need to make changes to the novels if and when the need arose. But hold your horses! His words went,
This really is a true adaptation of the series, so there will be a lot of things that are different from the books certainly. But I think it always stays true to the heart of the books and the spine of the storytelling.
Judkins was clear that they had a great story on their hand, and they wanted to tell it. However, they wanted to tell the story in a manner that was best for television.
There Is a Global Cast
Daniel Henney made headlines back in April when it was revealed that he would play the role of al'Lan Mandragoran - the uncrowned King of Malkier.
For @TheWheelOfTime fans who are waiting so patiently (and for future fans as well) - here’s a first look at al’Lan Mandragoran - the uncrowned King of Malkier.
I’ve loved every minute playing him thus far & we’re working tirelessly to bring you a fantastic show - stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/jdo6aYBw5l — Daniel Henney (@danielhenney) April 28, 2021
However, that is only the tip of the iceberg. The list of cast members has names popping up from all over the world. So much so that going over the names of every one of the cast members would not be feasible.
Still, there are a few faces that would be getting the most screen time in the first season.
Fans can expect to see Rosamund Pike, Josha Stradowski, Marcus Rutherford, Zoë Robins, Sophie Okonedo, Barney Harris, and Madeleine Madden.
Other stars include Kae Alexander, Miguel Alvarez, Naana Agyei Ampadu, Hammed Animashaun, Pasha Bocarie, Priyanka Bose, and Lolita Chakrabarti.
For those still recovering from the Game of Thrones finale, The Wheel of Time brings promise. Whether or not it delivers on that promise, only time will tell.