Based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling novels, The Wheel of Time takes place in a sprawling, magical world. The Prime Video fantasy series stars Gone Girl actor Rosamund Pike as Moiraine, a member of a powerful all-female organization of magic users who embarks on an epic journey to save humanity. The six-part series has Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D’s Rafe Judkins as showrunner.
Amazon pumped huge sums into the drama, with each episode costing more than $10 million to make. Producers even built a studio from scratch specifically for the show on the outskirts of Prague — named Jordan Studios in honor of the writer.
"I loved the books as a child and have read them all many times,’ says The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins. "So there is a huge level of responsibility to deliver this giant series which means so much to so many people. It’s probably the reason I haven’t slept in three years."
So here’s what we know so far about the world-spanning fantasy saga The Wheel of Time…
The Wheel of Time release date
The first three episodes of The Wheel of Time season 1 premiere worldwide on Prime Video on 19 November 2021 with new episodes available each Friday following, leading up to the season finale on December 24., 2021.
The Wheel of Time season 1 plot
The Wheel of Time follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike), a member of the Aes Sedai, a potent all-female organization of magic users. She takes a group of five young people on a dangerous journey around the world, believing one of the five might be the reincarnation of the Dragon Reborn, a powerful individual prophesied to either save humanity or destroy it.
In the opening episode, Moraine arrives in the small town of Two Rivers to seek the identity of the Dragon, a mysterious figure who, it has been prophesied, has been reborn to stand against an evil entity known as the Dark One.
When a horde of the Dark One’s terrifying monsters called Trollocs attack the village, Moiraine uses her powers to fend off the beast-like creatures, before escaping with four young villagers — Rand, Mat, Perrin, and Egwene — one of whom, she believes, is the 'Dragon Reborn'.
Pursued by Trollocs, Moiraine and her Warder, Lan, take the group and they head for sanctuary at the White Tower, home of the Aes Sedai.
What happens in episode two?
We’re briefly introduced to the Whitecloaks, an organization that hunts the Aes Sedai; the sadistic Questioner Eamon Valda collects the rings from Aes Sedai he executes as trophies.
Moiraine and the group are chased by Trollocs through Tarron Ferry, but the monsters fear deep water and they escape them over the river. Moiraine uses her magic to destroy the ferry they used to cross so they can lose the Dark One’s army.
The travelers stop to rest. Rand wants to make a plan of escape to get back to Two Rivers, but the others seem convinced staying with Moiraine is their best option. Moiraine is growing weaker due to the injury she suffered but teaches Egwene that she also has access to the One Power and could well be an Aes Sedai member herself.
After stirring from some ominous nightmares, the six head out on the road again. They meet Whitecloak forces (including Eamon Valda) on the trail, but Moiraine manages to convince them that they were just fleeing Trolloc attacks, even if it's clear Eamon is still suspicious of Moiraine's true nature.
The Trollocs eventually catch up with the group once again. Moiraine's barely able to maintain her strength due to her injuries, so, Lan takes charge and leads the group inside the cursed city of Shadar Logoth to escape the Dark One's forces. Ages ago, an evil presence consumed everything and everyone within the city, which has stood abandoned ever since.
Soon after they arrive, the same evil entity descends on the city once again, splitting them up as they try to flee. Mat and Rand escape together through a grate in the wall, Perrin and Egwene are forced to jump off the battlements of the city and Lan manages to escape with Moiraine on horseback. Nynaeve then bursts out of the woods and holds a sword up to Lan’s throat, demanding to know where her friends have gone.
Is there a trailer for The Wheel of Time?
Prime Video has released an official trailer for The Wheel of Time, which gives fans a glimpse of Rosamund Pike in her role as Moiraine. There’s also a first-look poster (above). "The blood runs deep in those mountains!" says Moraine in the trailer. "Our enemies are everywhere!!" Take look a below...
The Wheel of Time cast — Rosamund Pike on playing Moiraine Damodred
British actor Rosamund Pike leads the cast as the magical heroine Moiraine Damodred, who embarks on a dangerous journey to save the world.
"Moiraine is the guide figure,’ says Rosamund Pike. "She changes the youngsters’ lives forever as they go out into the big bad world. As the series goes on, the group fragments and splinters, and you begin to realize where the wheels of power turn in this world. The intrigue and drama escalate to another level and the story gets bigger and bigger."
"Moiraine is very driven and single-minded. She has a true path and follows her purpose to the cost of everything else. She’ll sacrifice love, friendship, and family for what she believes in. It’s like a religion that she’s bound to."
Rosamund says she was drawn to the project because of the saga’s collection of strong female characters. "Robert Jordan, who wrote the books, served in Vietnam and I think these books were his way of remedying the chaos he witnessed there,’ she says. ‘In The Wheel of Time, he created a world with a great power that was taken away from men after they abused it. Now women wield the power, which I found very interesting."
Rosamund made her big-screen debut as Bond girl Miranda Frost in 2002’s Die Another Day. She went on to play Jane Bennet in Pride & Prejudice (2005), Helen in the 1960s-set coming-of-age drama An Education (2009) and ruthless Amy Dunne in the twisty-turny thriller Gone Girl (2014). She took on the role of Marie Curie in the biopic Radioactive and won a Golden Globe for playing cold-hearted con artist Marla Grayson in I Care A Lot. You may also recognize her voice from TV’s Moominvalley and Thunderbirds Are Go!
Who else is starring in The Wheel of Time?
Joshua Stradowski plays Rand al’Thor, his first major TV role. The Dutch actor is joined by Madeleine Madden (Picnic At Hanging Rock) as Egwene Al'Vere and New Zealander actress Zoë Robins (Black Christmas) is Nynaeve al'Meara, plus Marcus Rutherford (Bulletproof), and Barney Harris (The Hollow Crown).
Sophie Okonedo (Modern Love, Hotel Rwanda) rounds out the main cast as Siuan Sanche, a good friend of Moiraine’s who becomes the elected leader of the Aes Sedai in the books.
The Wheel Of Time — the original novels by Robert Jordan
The Wheel of Time is one of the most popular fantasy series of all time, with over 90 million books sold. Written by American author Robert Jordan, the series spans 15 volumes, with the first book, The Eye of the World, published in 1990. Robert Jordan died in 2007, but the final three volumes were completed by fellow fantasy author Brandon Sanderson after Robert Jordan left extensive notes, which also paves the way for potential future series of the TV adaptation!
"Robert Jordan was an extraordinary world builder," explains Rosamund Pike. "You can see how far he was reaching right from the word go with the characters and cultures he created. Each time you see a new location you marvel at the writer’s imagination. He had this plotted out decades in advance?"
The Wheel of Time' Season 2 is happening
The Wheel of Time Season 2 is coming, and production is already underway. There's been a character cast change already. Donal Finn will be portraying Mat Cauthon in the second season. Finn replaces Barney Harris, who portrays Mat in the first season.
"When you get to the end of the first season you’ll think, “Where do they go from here?”’ says Rafe Judkins. "But the series will just continue to expand and expand. I can’t wait for everyone to see the world we’ve created."
