Fans of “The Wheel of Time,” the forthcoming fantasy series, now have much more to look forward to.
Just days after the first season wrapped, Amazon Studios revealed on May 20 that it had greenlit a second season of the show, which it is co-producing with Sony Pictures Television.
“Getting a second season order before the first season has even aired is such a vote of confidence in the work we’re doing and the property itself,” showrunner Rafe Judkins said in a press release, “and we couldn’t be happier to be able to live and work in the world Robert Jordan built.”
“The Wheel of Time,” based on Robert Jordan’s sprawling 14-novel series, which also includes a prequel and two companion novels, follows channeler Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of an all-female community of magic users, as she uncovers, mentors, and defends the Dragon Reborn, the reincarnation of an ancient and powerful hero who will either save or kill the earth.
Here’s what we know so far about the second season of the show.
When Will The Wheel Of Time Season 2 Be Released ?
The only certainty we have right now about Season 2’s release date is that it will arrive sometime after Season 1.
Amazon has yet to announce a release date for the first season of “The Wheel of Time,” so it will most likely take some time.
The first season of the show was just finished shooting in May, but more reshoots and pickups may be needed. Then there’s the editing, visual effects, and other post-production tasks that must be completed before it can be uploaded to the streaming service.
It’s understandable that the show’s creative team would prefer not to jump back into things after a lengthy shoot that was delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The good news is that the delays have reportedly allowed the writers to make significant progress on Season 2 scripts, ensuring that when shooting resumes, they’ll be ready to go. Another factor to remember in Season 2’s release date is that “The Wheel of Time” isn’t the only high-fantasy adaptation on the way to Amazon.
Amazon is investing a lot of money on its “Lord of the Rings” prequel series, and it’s likely to spread the releases out over the year to avoid stepping on each other’s toes.
Who Will Appear In Season 2 Of The Wheel Of Time?
According to Amazon’s press release, Pike is a producer on the show, so she’ll be reprising her role as Moiraine. According to Deadline, Pike will be joined in Season 1 by a slew of stars, including Josha Stradowski, Marcus Rutherford, Zoe Robins, Barney Harris, and Madeleine Madden, among others. Didn’t we say it was a big, sprawling epic?
The five actors listed above are worth noting because they will play the core group whose journey with Moiraine is chronicled in the series’ first novel, “The Eye of the World.” Rand al’Thor is played by Stradowski, Perrin Aybara is played by Rutherford, Nynaeve al’Meara is played by Robins, Mat Cauthon is played by Harris, and Egwene al’Vere is played by Madden.
Lan Mandragoran, the greatest swordsman of the day, will be played by Henney.
Despite the fact that the paths of this core fellowship break and diverge throughout the series, that faction, along with Pike, appears to be the most likely to return for Season 2. However, according to The Compendium of “Wheel of Time” Characters, there are 2,782 named characters in the book series, so go ahead and cast your own characters.
What Is The Story Of Season 2 Of The Wheel Of Time?
Despite Jordan’s detailed road map, it’s difficult to predict the plot of Season 2 since the first season has yet to be published.
The series would presumably begin at the beginning — as much of a beginning as a series called “The Wheel of Time” can have — but the knowledge that has been published so far has focused on adapting the books in general rather than “The Eye of the World.”
Some viewers have noted that the episode titles for Season 1 have been taken from chapters in both “The Eye of the World” and “The Great Hunt,” the series’ second book.
Of course, even though they are using the names, they are not obligated to match episode to chapter. However, it’s possible that by Season 2, the show may have gone on to, or even past, the events of the third book, “The Dragon Reborn.” On May 20, the Twitter account for “The Wheel of Time” shared a peek at the title page for a Season 2 script, and the title, “A Taste of Solitude,” is taken from the sixth novel, “Lord of Chaos.”
Adapting a book into a television series doesn’t always lend itself to the same rhythms and breaks as the books, particularly because the first two novels total nearly 600,000 words. But don’t be shocked if certain activities are rearranged in order to bring Jordan’s book series to the big screen.
