Hey there, Wheel of Time fans! It's time to dive into the fun and fabulous Closet Cosplay Contest during our charity stream marathon Aug 26th starting at 11am Eastern on our Twitch. We want you to dig deep and come up with a Wheel of Time themed cosplay. Whether you don an elaborate costume or turn everyday items into an epic ensemble, we can't wait to see your creative genius in action!

When to Strut Your Stuff:

The closet cosplay showdown kicks off at 11am EDT with our livestream. It's your chance to get creative and have fun while doing something awesome for charity! 

How to Get in on the Action:

1. Step 1: Stick with us

First things first, show us some serious love! Hit that subscribe button on YouTube and that follow button on Twitch. Why? Because this is where the magic happens—updates, fun moments, and vibes you won't want to miss.

2. Step 2: Strut your stuff

Time to bring your A-game! Strike a pose and snap a photo of your genius creation. Share your masterpiece on Twitter or Instagram. Remember to tag Dragonmount and throw in the hashtag #reWoTch to join the party.  Twitter- @dragonmount & Instagram- @dragonmount_

3. Step 3: Lock in your shot

Here's where it gets real—lock in your shot at the set of Graphic Novels by Macmillan. Donate any amount to our Charity stream. Then, pop an email with the subject line “reWoTch cosplay” over to social@dragonmount.com with your Twitch and YouTube usernames. Don't forget to attach your cosplay pic!

Everyone's invited to join in for a seriously good time. But if you're aiming for the prize, you've got to go all in with all three steps. The winner must provide a shipping address within the continental United States for us to ship the prize to. 

How We Roll:

The Dragonmount team will pick our top 5 favorite entries. These are the ones that capture the spirit, make us laugh, and have us saying, "Wow, that's pure genius!" Then YOU, your fans, your friends, and fellow Wheel of Time enthusiasts will have the chance to vote in a poll to decide who takes the Closet Cosplay crown. 
 

The Big Giveaway:

We're not fooling around, folks. The winner gets their hands on something epic: the complete set of "The Eye of the World" graphic novels by MacMillan! Yep, that's a whopping 6 issues of pure Wheel of Time goodness.

Mark Your Calendar:

The Closet Cosplay Contest starts at 11am EDT at the start of our live stream.

Make sure you've done all 3 steps by 8pm EDT during the marathon.

The winner will be announced on Monday!

Get ready to show us your Wheel of Time style, and may the most epic closet cosplayer win! 🌟

With two weeks to go until the premiere of the second season, we can share Dragonmount’s interview with the cast of the Wheel of Time Season two!

Kathy Campbell was lucky enough to get five minutes to chat with Madeleine Madden and Daniel Henney, and then Marcus Rutherford, Dónal Finn, and Ceara Coveney. The cast reveals what they are most excited (and nervous) for book fans to see in Season Two! 

The interviews occurred in June 2023, before the SAG-AFTRA strike began.

Check out the video over on YouTube:

The second season of The Wheel of Time will be released on September 1st. We cannot wait to see our favorite characters on screen again! 

Rajiv Moté is Dragonmount’s book blogger with a lens on the craft of fiction writing. When he’s not directing software engineers, he writes fiction of his own, which can be found cataloged at his website.

The trailer for Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time season 2 has arrived at last, and fans of the books are wondering whether their favorite scenes will appear, or if this turning of the Wheel will spin things differently.

Dragonmount has a helpful set of summaries if it has been a while since your last re-read. The end of Season 1 left things in a different place than the end of book 1. Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, has set off alone to protect others from the madness that he knows will consume him. He seems more the Rand of the beginning of book 3. Moiraine has been exiled from the Tower by Siuan, shielded from the One Power by “the Dark One,” and her bond with Lan is inaccessible. (It raises the question if this shield has affected other things, like the oaths taken on the Oath Rod, or if it was just “stuck on fuzzed.”) Nynaeve and Egwene are still in Fal Dara with Moiraine and Lan. Perrin is dealing with his pacifism having allowed Padan Fain to escape with the Horn of Valere, seemingly at the cost of Loial’s life. In the biggest departure from the books, Mat stayed behind in Tar Valon, never making the trip through the Ways to Fal Dara.

The prologue of The Great Hunt kicks us off with the “Darkfriend Social,” a gathering of hooded and cloaked Darkfriends from across the land, assembled to take orders from “the Dark One.” The trailer for Season 2 does show us a group of hooded and cloaked individuals gathered around a table (we see even more of this gathering in a bonus scene following the season 1 finale!), and even Liandrin sneaking around Tar Valon with her hood up--although she has plenty of others to meet, and standing business in North Harbor. Speaking of Liandrin, she’s also shown with the Great Serpent Ring forge. In the show, Great Serpent Rings are Ajah-specific, so Novices and Accepted couldn’t pass for Aes Sedai if they were to venture out into the world on secret business. Just saying.

The Great Hunt continues showing that some time has passed following the meetings at the Eye. Lan is training Rand to use his heron-mark sword, an investment that will pay off when Rand faces the Seanchan High Lord Turak. Lan also teaches Rand a warrior’s comportment; how to stand with pride even when facing as imposing a figure as the Amyrlin Seat. In the trailer, Rand does face Siuan Sanche, but given that he has wandered into the Blight/Waste at the beginning of the season, this meeting seems likely for later in the season. Without Rand or the Horn, there isn’t much reason for Siuan to make the trip to Fal Dara.

Padan Fain has already made off with the Horn of Valere, so the inciting incident for the Hunt for the Horn has already happened, and without Rand’s presence, or Mat needing his dagger, the duty falls to Perrin. His stake is the most personal--he let Fain get away--and unless Hurin has been cast, Perrin’s ability to talk to wolves is their only way to track the Horn. Will we see a Fade nailed to a door by Padan Fain? I sure hope so.

In The Great Hunt, Siuan and Moiraine plot to use the Hunt as a way to groom Rand to lead the Shienarans, including supplying him with fancy coats and the Dragon Banner. The trailer also shows Rand swaggering in fancy coats, but this new sequence suggests that someone else is responsible for Rand’s new confidence. Lanfear, rising from what looks like a pool of blood, has been freed, and her first priority is to cozy up to Lews Therin reborn and groom him to stand beside her at the apex of power. Rand appears to be learning how to channel as well, and is even conversing with Logain. How much of this is through Lanfear’s orchestration (in the books, she caught Rand his first male teacher, at the end of book 4) remains to be seen. The Dark is still in pursuit of Rand, and it looks like Rand is learning enough to put a sword of flame through a Fade. By the time Rand reunites with Moiraine, he’s angry, full of his own power, and willing to choke an Aes Sedai. Siuan says he can’t be controlled, though it’s unclear if she’s telling Moiraine and if, despite the Oath, the lovers are reunited outside of a flashback.

There are scenes of Rand bound to a wheel, a rather on-the-nose representation of his fate. These images are likely Lanfear messing with Rand’s dreams, trying to get him to rebel against his destiny. Indeed, when Rand faces the Amyrlin Seat, he tells Siuan that he doesn’t want to be a spoke on the Wheel, and Siuan responds that Rand is the water that turns it.

The trailer confirms that Nynaeve and Egwene reach the White Tower, and are joined by Elayne. Verin is cast, so perhaps she takes them, since Moiraine can’t return to the Tower if her Oath holds. Nynaeve takes her test for Accepted and emerges with wounds. There is a scene in the trailer where Nynaeve is wielding a sword, with two other swordsmen visible. This could reference the book conversation with Siuan, where Nynaeve says that she doesn’t need the Power when a sword would do. It could even be a scenario in her testing. Or maybe she’s just wielding a sword. She killed a Trolloc with one, after all.

There is probably no need for Portal Stone flickering realities, as Rand and Lanfear have already been separated from the Hunt for the Horn, but the trailer does show us a laughing Perrin with a young girl who could be his daughter or a little sister, which may be one of his alternate realities. Or, it could be a Wolf Dream. The trailer shows Perrin coming to terms with talking to wolves, and his eyes turn golden.

There’s no indication from this trailer whether Moiraine visits Adeleas and Vandene (with the Dragkhar attack), Rand encounters the Choeden Kal, or Min reconnects with Nynaeve and Egwene at the White Tower. We know Thom does not appear this season. We know Elayne is at the Tower, and a glimpse of the business end of Mat’s quarterstaff suggests that book 3’s sparring with Gawyn and Galad may occur. The Shadar Logoth dagger is still somehow associated with Mat despite his separation from it last season. There’s a fiery explosion, but whether it’s an accident at the Illuminator chapterhouse or Seanchan damane doing battle is yet to be seen. The trailer doesn’t indicate how much of Cairhien and Barthanes’s cocktail party will be in the adaptation. In the book, it’s Barthanes who tells Rand that Fain is waiting on Toman Head.

Ultimately, the book has everyone converge on Toman Head, and this is reflected in the trailer. Perrin’s party, after fighting Whitecloaks (and being aided by Aviendha and the Aiel), becomes prisoners of the Seanchan High Lord Turak, and the Horn of Valere falls into the invader’s hands. Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne come to the rescue (sent along by Liandrin, in the book), and Egwene becomes a prisoner of High Lady Suroth’s sul’dam. She goes down fighting with the Power, in the trailer. We do see High Lord Turak, a blademaster, unsheathe his sword, but it’s uncertain whether the show’s Rand has had sufficient training with Lan to beat him like in the book. Could Lan fill the role of Turak’s slayer? I kind of hope not.

This trailer does not show the Horn of Valere being blown, nor the Heroes of the Horn doing battle with the Seanchan. Season 1’s finale was sufficiently different from The Eye of the World that the show may have its own conclusion planned. Does Mat get bound to the Horn? Or does Perrin? Or does the Horn get blown at all? The press interviews promise us a huge battle this season. Watch and Find Out, I suppose.

If I’m interpreting the trailer correctly, this season is hewing much closer to the outline of the second book than season 1. The major differences are with Mat and Thom. But as a fan of the books, I felt like I was back in familiar territory, among friends. I’m excited for the first three episodes streaming on September 1st.
 

With the second season of The Wheel of Time just a few weeks away we are getting weekly WOT Wednesday news. 

Today was a new trailer with the big news that the first three episodes of the second season will drop on September first. 

The other big drop today was a behind-the-scenes look at the Trollocs the “nightmare fuel” monsters for the dark. 

We hear from Rosamund Pike showrunner Rafe Judkins producers Mark Weber and Justine Juel Gillmer and make-up designer Nick Dudman. 

The trollocs are genetically engineered creatures created through a mix of human and animals like birds boars and bears. The show used a mix of practical and visual effects for the trollocs. We see both the creation of the practical with stilts and horns.

And the cgi visual effects:

The featurette shows how some of the stunts were performed and more behind the scenes of the creation of the Trollocs. 

“They are more than just monsters there is a human piece”

The humanity of the Trollocs is what makes them horrifying, not knowing how much they understand and think for themselves. It seems the second season will explore the complexity of the dark and hopefully will explore the humanity of the Trollocs. 

We can’t wait! What are you looking forward to seeing in the first three episodes? Let us know in the comments below!
 

Our newest WOT Wednesday drop is here and it’s a sneak peek of the first scene in Season Two of The Wheel of Time!! Today started off with a quick video that hinted at our new drop - that the first scene of Season Two will play directly after the finale of Season One.

It’s a scene many of us fans have been hoping to see, and we get to see it a month early! 

Head over to the Prime Video app, and at the end of Seasons One, episode 8, the new sneak peek will play. The scene will be familiar to fans of the books of a scene in The Great Hunt that starts off from the perspective from a new character, a dark friend who calls himself “Bors” who attends what fans endearingly call “the dark friend social.”

The sneak peek scene starts off with a young child playing outside, who sees monstrous trollocs appear out of the mist. She runs into to a gathering of figures robed in black. The Man/the Dark One/ Ishamael (played by Fares Fares) pops his head down to let her know she’s interrupting their meeting.

A meeting of who appear to be dark friends!! We see: a Seanchan with long fingernails, an Aes Sedai with their stone colored black, a warrior with a hawk sigil, and the child’s mother. We also see Padan Fain pull down his hood and grin at the child. The main theory is that the girl and her mother are tinkers, but there’s a suggestion that they might be from Falme.

Ishamael discusses a man, not yet the dragon reborn, called Rand Al’thor. The scene ends with an intriguing and very creepy chat between Ishamael and the child about hungry trollocs and who we consider to be monsters.

It’s not an exact recreation of the book scene, but it is a gathering of dark friends where the name Rand Al’thor is revealed. There are more figures around the table, maybe fans will dissect the scene until we figure out who’s there, or maybe we will have to wait until we see the whole of Season Two!

If you want to see thoughts from Thom at Dragonmount, go check out the livestream he did all about the sneak peek!

Today we also got a (previously recorded) video featuring Rosamund Pike, Josha Stradowski, Marcus Rutherford, Dónal Finn, and Ceara Coveney explaining five things to remember about Season One of the Wheel of Time.

 

 

 

 

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Season Two of the Wheel of Time will release on September 1st 2023 on Prime Video.

What do you guys think of our preview? It’s so creepy and gives us lots to theorize about! 

With the second season of The Wheel of Time just around the corner, we are starting to see weekly WOT Wednesday posts. This last week, on Wednesday July 26th, was all about Season Two costume design from Sharon Gilham. As part of the drop The Nerdist interviewed Sharon Gilham. She had some interesting things to say so lets see what costumes might mean for the storyline of Season Two!

Sharon is the new costumer designer for season two, having previously designed for The Stranger and Jamestown. She’s also quite active over on instagram, so make sure you follow her over there! 

Let's take a closer look at the new sketches! First up is the Amyrlin Seat herself: Siuan Sanche played by Sophie Okonedo. Similarly to how we see her in Season One, Siuan is wearing ornate gold gowns in her official role as leader of the White Tower. 

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Here, flowers and natural elements woven together with delicate goldwork make up her headdress. The robes have three layers. There’s a gold satin crepe jumpsuit layer, a heavily decorated mid layer of wool and matte sequins, and a shoulder capelet made of a mix of original early 20th century embroidered silk. The back of the cape design includes representation of the seven colors of Aes Sedai Ajahs. - Sharon Gilham via Nerdist

It's very interesting how the costume design has chosen to not include a very visible striped stole like described in the book. Both seasons have had a more subdued inclusion of all the Ajahs on the Amyrlin's clothes. I hope we see a few good shots in the show of the back of her cape! In the photo they released, we only see the front of her outfit. Siuan dresses like the most powerful person in the world with the richness of her gown and robes and headdress. For all of Robert Jordan's elaborate descriptions I don't remember ever reading about a headdress for the Amyrlin. It definitely makes her stand out in a crowd! 

Next up we have Moiraine Sedai, played by Rosamund Pike. 

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Gilham cites the cultural influences in Cairhien being Japanese and French. . . "In this case I combined Japanese kimono shapes with exaggerated skirts with full petticoats in the style of traditional French costume.” - Sharon Gilham via Nerdist

The final look went for more solid coloring for Moiraine. I'm a little bummed that we don't see her in something with pattern, even though the solid colors seem to suit Moiraine better. I think the pattern would have shown how she's outside her element being back in Cairhien. It appears that's where a good part of the story for Season Two takes place in Cairhien. Moiraine wasn't in Cairhien with the rest of the characters in book two, The Great Hunt, but with her history (and the fact that she's a Damodred, part of the royal house of Cairhien) it feels realistic for her to be there. The photo of Moiraine of the final costume is (annoyingly) cut off, so we can't see if she is wearing a shorter skirt here like in the sketch. The Japanese influences are quite clear in the top of the dress, sleeves and belt.  

Next we move over to a whole other continent, a whole other culture - the Seanchan! This civilization from across the sea has a different history and culture than the ones we've been introduced to so far. Robert Jordans descriptions are so vivid of insect like helmets etc. First up we have High Lady Suroth. The actor for this role has not been officially announced yet, so some speculation continues! 

Okay there's so much that's so cool about this costume! First let's look at what costume designer Sharon said about Lady Suroth: 

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Gilham took the color palette from rusting metal. “The Seanchan come from overseas, which makes them even more mysterious and ‘other’ to the cultures of the Wheel of Time world,” Gilham explains. “The Seanchan are a mix of Mesoamerica and Imperial Chinese".

 

Of course, the long lacquered nails are right from the books too. The Seanchan also shave their heads and have scarification on their shaved skin. The decorative mask and lacquered and feathered hairpiece hide that. However, Gilham teases Suroth’s “striking self” will be revealed later in the season. - Nerdist

The Seanchan are obsessed with status, and their clothes must reflect that. Lady Suroth's elaborate headpiece hides her head (which sounds like there's more under the mask than we might expect). Yet there's so much that is from Robert Jordan's descriptions - the long nails, the pleated robes. I can't wait to be absolutely terrified by this group. There's always different reasons for changes from the book descriptions, what it okay in written word doesn't always translate to television. Sometimes there's practical considerations. And sometimes you have to go all out like 12 in long fingernails. Yes, they are not lacquered. But they are soooo long as we can see in the photo of the final costume. 

The last group has the lowest social status of the Seanchan empire - those who can channel, or Damane. We don't have any official announcements for the actors playing damane in Season two. 

In the books the damane are collared and leashed to the Sul'dam, those who control their channeling. In the show, it appears the collar is more of a chest brace than dog collar. The Sul'dam have a bracer or arm cuff rather than a bracelet. 

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They fit the channelers with gold collars, and a sul’dam uses a paired bracelet to control the damane assigned to them. The oppressive collars can only be removed when a damane dies.

Gilham incorporated that horrifying touch. She says, “I added the gold mouth stopper or dummy/pacifier to symbolize their further silencing as individuals.”  - via Nerdist

Part of Seanchan hierarchy is about who is allowed to speak. This is a very visible way of communicating that the Damane don't have a voice or any control over their own lives. The mouthpiece is also similar in shape to a device used during the eras of Slavery in the United States to prevent the enslaved from eating. One other interesting thing to note is that Sharon says the collars can be removed when a damane dies. That has interesting implications for the story line of season two. We will have to see how the characters handle that bit of information. Seeing these costumes (and some of the shots from the trailer) make me very nervous for one my favorite characters. It's hard to read about the treatment of the damane, seeing their lives on TV will be absolutely heartbreaking. 

That a wrap on WOT Wednesday costumes! Can't wait for what we will see next week. What do you guys think of the costume sketches? Let us know in the comments below! 

This morning we have the first official trailer for Season Two of The Wheel of Time. 

The Wheel of Time will premier on September 1st 2023. The second season covers content from books two: The Great Hunt and parts of book three: The Dragon Reborn. 

There's also news about WOTwednesdays, which is returning! 

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The trailer’s release also heralds the return of #WOTWednesdays, which will see weekly Season Two assets and news break every Wednesday moving forward, through the new season’s September 1 launch and beyond.

If you have the availability to support industry folks impacted by the WGA & SAG-AFTRA strike, please consider contributing to the entertainment community fund.

The Wheel of Time social media accounts have announced that we will see the trailer tomorrow morning, July 18th at 6am pacific.

New beginnings. ✅
Epic quest. ✅#TheWheelOfTime Official Trailer drops Wednesday at 6AM PT. pic.twitter.com/8IR4iX3S3J

— The Wheel Of Time (@TheWheelOfTime) July 17, 2023 

Today we've also seen a few more photos from season two including Rand, Nynaeve and the Seanchan. 

More glimpses of the Pattern for you. See what the Wheel weaves tomorrow at 6AM PT. #TheWheelOfTime pic.twitter.com/BVbnKyE4lh

— The Wheel Of Time (@TheWheelOfTime) July 18, 2023

Last week we saw the official poster for season 2 featuring all our favorite main characters: 

What does The Pattern have in store? Find out next week. #TheWheelOfTime pic.twitter.com/euqBKayAzE

— The Wheel Of Time (@TheWheelOfTime) July 12, 2023

It's been nearly two years since we saw the the trailer for Season One of the Wheel of Time. It was such a fun time reacting to the trailer and sharing the experience together over on YouTube.

If you have the availability to support industry folks impacted by the WGA & SAG-AFTRA strike, please consider contributing to the entertainment community fund.

Starting today, Dragonmount will be resuming our coverage of Season Two of The Wheel of Time.

We fully support WGA & SAG-AFTRA strike. After consulting with people connected to the show and the union directly, we’ll cover the show itself, but no specific companies or any other struck work

Even though The Wheel of Time show is not a SAG project, the actors and writers cannot promote it themselves at this time. We fully support them on this incredible project and want to see it succeed.

If you have the availability to support industry folks impacted by the strike, please consider contributing to the entertainment community fund.

Stay tuned to Dragonmount for some exciting news! 

The Wheel of Time is returning on September 1st, 2023 to Prime Video! 

Entertainment Weekly also published first look photos of season two. The photos include a good look at the Seanchan with the Fares Fares as the Dark One and Hammed Animashaun as Loial,  Dónal Finn as Mat Cauthon, and the rest of the main cast, including Rosamund Pike as Moiraine, Madeleine Madden as Egwene, Daniel Henney as Lan,  Zoë Robbins as Nynaeve, Josha Stradowski as Rand, Marcus Rutherford as Perrin, and Aoolya Smart as Aviendha. 

We've previously seen some behind the scenes content about Season Two including a sizzle reel during San Diego Comic Con, a sneak peek during New York Comic Con and an interview and casting announcement during JordanCon. 

The Wheel of Time Twitter account also posted this clip from Josha Stradowski responding to twitter user "Default Rand" who has been asking the official account everyday for the release date. Day 449 is the one! 

Less than 100 days until release! Who's planning a watch party? Let us know in the comments below. 

After years of speculation we have confirmation from the Nerdist that Meera Syal is Verin Mathwin, Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah, in season two of the Wheel of Time on Prime Video. The Nerdist article suggested to not google Verin to avoid spoilers, and we'd like to reenforce that recommendation! Brown Ajah are pursuers of knowledge and devote themselves to study and research. Verin is first introduced in book two, The Great Hunt, so it makes sense we will see her in season two. 

Meera was first announced as joining the cast in October 2021. We've wondered and guessed who she could be playing, and then a couple weeks ago showrunner Rafe Judkins teased fans with a WOT Wednesday post that nearly, but not quite, revealed Meera's role. The following week during JordanCon 2023 we had four new casting announcements, and Meera was not included much to our disappointment! Today's announcement was a Nerdist exclusive and we are so excited to finally know this casting!  

Welcome again Meera, and we can't wait to see you play Verin! 

Happy JordanCon 2023! Wheel of Time Fans from across the world have gathered for the 15th annual JordanCon in Atlanta, Georgia.

To celebrate, the cast and crew of The Wheel of Time television show on Prime Video put together a short video for fans (link & embed relevant tweet?).

As part of the video we learned about four new casting announcements for Season 2, including:

• Maja Simonsen as “Chiad”
• Ragga Ragnars as “Bain”
• Jay Duffy as “Dain Bornhald”
• Rima Te Wiata as “Sheriam Bayanar”

Welcome to the Wheel of Time Family Maja, Ragga, Jay, and Rima! We can’t wait to see you in your roles!

Earlier this week, Showrunner Rafe Judkins teased fans with the return of WOT Wednesday, where he plans to post more behind-the-scenes tidbits. This week he teased the casting of Meera Syal without revealing her role. She was not revealed today, so the mystery of her role will continue!

There’s still no official word on when we will see Season 2, however, Rafe announced that Season 3 has begun filming!

Are you at JordanCon this weekend? Tag Dragonmount and we will share your photos! Let us know what you think about the new casting in the comments below.

Last summer at the first WoTCoN, fans saw two deleted scenes from Season One of The Wheel of Time on Prime Video. The first scene, featuring Egwene, was released on social media soon afterwards. The second scene was not, until now. 

This week, The Wheel of Time social media accounts released the deleted scene featuring Michael McElhatton as Tam al'Thor and Madeleine Madden as Egwene al'Vere. The scene provides more context about The Two Rivers history, Tam's late wife, and his relationship with Rand. 

Let us know what you think of the deleted scene in the comments below! 

A few weeks ago Rob from Malkier Talks tagged us in a Hype Train with eleven questions to get us excited for the eventual return of The Wheel of Time on Prime Video. 

Happy Saturday #TwitterOfTime let's keep the Hype Train moving with my very own tag video! 11 questions about why we love S1 of #TheWheelofTime & why we're excited for S2! As part of the fun I also tagged a few friends to answer the questions @LezbiNerdy @Kritter_XD @dragonmount!

— Malkier Talks (@MalkierTalks) February 4, 2023

Here's the questions Rob proposed: 

Questions

1 - What is your favourite episode from season one?

2 - Who is your favourite character from season one?

3 - What is your favourite piece of dialogue from season one?

4 - Which character did you end up loving that you didn't expect to love so much?

5 - Who had the best outfit in season one?

6 - Who portrayed their character the best and why?

7 - Tell us about a moment that unexpectedly made you laugh or cry in season one?

8 - What moment was the best homage to the books?

9 - Aside from Blood Snow, what was your favourite Cold Open?

10 - What was the best moment in the BTS footage of season two?

11 - Which new actor are you most excited to see on screen? Ceara, Donal, or Ayoola?

We responded with our own video over on YouTube. Check it out to find out how Thom, Kathy and Kitty answered Robs' questions!

Let's keep the hype train going! 

@thedustywheel @TarValon @leaf_cast @JordanConInc Tag your it ^_^

— Thom_Ass he/they (@Thom_DeSimone) March 15, 2023

Let us know your answers to Malkier Talks questions in the comments below! 

The Wheel of Time Showrunner, Rafe Judkins, joined Dragonmount producer Kathy and community show host Thom for a live interview. 

If you missed the interview check it out over on YouTube. 

Here's some of the major points from the conversation: 

• Season 3 writers room is finished!
• Season 2 is coming 2023, but don't expect it in early 2023. They still have quite a bit they are working on wrapping up. 
• Rafe will be also showrunning God of War, and about show running multiple projects he said - 

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I've always worked on other stuff while I've worked on Wheel, so it never effect my commitment to Wheel. - Rafe Judkins

• There's fun new technology for season 2 & 3. Season 2 will also have some longer episodes. Changing the story more to get through the story more effectively. Wheel of Time has about 200 pages episode, versus Game of Thrones had about 50 pages an episode. There's more remixing to deliver the story overall. 
• When asked about the diversity of the writers room - Rafe said he also focuses on diversity of thought. For example, Celine Song has a family belief of reincarnation and would share with the writers of season one how that belief filters into their daily life. This allows the writers to incorporate those thoughts into the characters.
• There's no organized religion in the books, but strong cultural practices, so they tried to add to the world building in the show with little "ritual stories." For example Stepin, burning incense for the forsaken. 

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The Wheel of Time is chasing nothing. The Wheel of Time is its own entity. - Rafe Judkins

•  Rafe also said that the Wheel of Time fandom is statistically the best fandom. They do statistics on big fandoms, and ours is the best in terms of being kind and positive, the most welcoming. I think a lot of us have felt this, so to hear it backed by numbers feels great! 

For more fun details, including what other media Rafe is watching and his favorite Wheel of Time curse word, check out the full interview!

Join Dragonmount for our episode by episode "ReWOTch" of season one of The Wheel of Time on Prime Video.

Every Monday at 9pm eastern we will be streaming to YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and Twitter. Join Rebecca, Thom, and Ebony as we experience the first season again. 

If you missed last weeks episode, you can find it here. Just press play on your prime video episode at the same time you hit play on our stream. There's a countdown on Dragonmount's stream that will help you align the two videos. 

Showrunner Rafe Judkins said he’d answer one question that came up during the live stream, so make sure to tune in and help us determine which question to ask!

After episode one, we asked Twitter to help us choose the question.

And here’s the poll! Vote for which of these is the best question to ask R2J2 and please share! #WoTRewatch #ReWoTch

— Dragonmount.com (@dragonmount) October 18, 2022

Our fans on twitter picked - What is something you think no one has noticed or commented on from this episode?

Good morning @rafejudkins! Here is the winning question for episode 1 of our #TheWheelOfTime #ReWoTch

What is something you think no one has noticed or commented on from this episode?

Submitted by @Unos_Eyepatch rephrased by @PatternReading

Thank you for joining in the fun!

— Dragonmount.com (@dragonmount) October 18, 2022

Rafe replied with a little help from book consultant Sarah Nakamura. Warning, there are some spoilers for future plot points. 

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Hey all!  Sorry went straight into a day with 13 hours of meetings and no food breaks haha.  This is why I never use Twitter. Answer wise I’m sadly not that sure what things everyone’s sussed out already from the pilot, so I called in @sarahenakamura for help

 

 

We have so many Easter eggs everywhere everywhere (from the trinkets on Padan Fain’s cart to the fact that every house in the two rivers we built had named inhabitants from the books matching their described jobs/hobbies), but one Sarah didn’t think people had noticed was — (2/3

 

 

— nynaeve’s mention of “trust the river” to Egwene in the women’s circle ceremony.  It not only points to to Manetheren history and how to embrace the source (you can even hear water in Mo’s teaching scene in 102), but also how Nynaeve will eventually break through her own block

- Rafe Judkins on Twitter

Our next rewatch is episode two on Monday October 23 at 9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific. Come watch Shadows Waiting with us!

Adam Whitehead is Dragonmount's TV blogger. Adam has been writing about film and television, The Wheel of Time, and other genre fiction for over fifteen years, and was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 2020. Be sure to check out his websites, The Wertzone and Atlas of Ice and Fire (including The Wheel of Time Atlas!) as well as his Patreon.

Prime Video revealed footage as part of a sneak peek for the second season of The Wheel of Time. We still don’t have a release date, but we now have a bit more of a clue as to what stories we’ll be seeing in the sophomore season.

According to showrunner Rafe Judkins, the second season will draw heavily on The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn, the second and third books in the series. His plan is to arrange things so that the already-greenlit Season 3 can focus on more closely adapting the fourth book in the series, The Shadow Rising, the favourite book of many readers.

The video opens in a somewhat desolate landscape with eleven riders heading down a road. It’s probable that this is Perrin and Loial travelling with Lord Ingtar’s party in search of the stolen Horn of Valere, since the terrain is very similar to what we saw for Fal Dara in Season 1.

We then see Rand (Josha Stradowski) staring out of a window whilst we hear Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) saying that they did not defeat the Dark One, but released his strongest lieutenant (Fares Fares, presumably playing Ishamael). That lieutenant is now awakening the Forsaken, the Dark One’s most powerful servants.

Rand's tribulations have certainly been good exercise.

We see a figure with long hair hands covered in blood being awoken before cutting to a table with twelve figures sitting around it, with their faces hidden apart from Ishamael. Based on the dialogue you might be expecting this to be a council of the Forsaken. However, there are twelve rather than thirteen figures and the figures have somewhat distinctive clothing, including the white gloves and sleeves of a possible Child of the Light, and one Aes Sedai ring. This may then be the “Darkfriend social,” a fan-favourite event in the second book when a group of high-ranking Darkfriends from across the land gather to hear of the Dark One’s plans.

We then cut to the arrival of a detachment of what appears to be Seanchan troops in a village. They have imprisoned Uno (Guy Roberts), one of Ingtar’s men. He is forced to kneel before several damane whilst Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) and Loial (Hammed Animashaun) watch on.

We then cut to Mat Cauthon, now played by newcomer Dónal Finn, before seeing a member of the Seanchan nobility, the Blood, complete with an ornate face mask hiding her features and long, lacquered fingernails (based on the books, this is possibly the High Lady Suroth). Moiraine then warns Lan (Daniel Henney) that he has “no conception” of the power “they” wield, as we see Seanchan soldiers assemble. Moiraine may be talking about the Seanchan or, maybe more likely, the Forsaken.

The Seanchan are a strong focus of the preview.

The camera cuts to Nynaeve (Zoë Robins) standing in a field, Lan practicing his sword forms, Nynaeve practising sword combat with Alanna’s Warders, Moiraine hiding with a drawn dagger, and several Seanchan soldiers lowering their spears alongside what might be a Seanchan nobleman. We see Egwene (Madeleine Madden) a stone room, Mat looking at a flame, Loial restrained by ropes, Moiraine in a bath, Rand tied to a wheel (maybe a dream sequence?), Perrin looking scared, Uno defeating a Seanchan in combat, and the Amyrlin Seat Siuan Sanche (Sophie Okonedo) descending from a carriage. Over this, Ishamael intones that “the only way to stop all this suffering is to stop the Wheel itself.”

We then see more scenes of combat; Egwene screaming with a metal collar around her neck; the Children of the Light assault the Seanchan stronghold; a cloaked figure with a long, serrated blade; a group of soldiers charging into battle; and a man being engulfed in flames.

Princess Not-Appearing-in-this-Video.

Putting these pieces together, it looks like mostly material from The Great Hunt. The Seanchan conquering the town of Falme, consolidating their control, and then being attacked first by Ingtar’s Shienaran soldiers and then the Children of the Light, with Egwene’s captivity hinted at. Notably missing from the preview video is any sign of Elyas (Gary Beadle), Elayne (Ceara Coveney) or Aviendha (Ayoola Smart) or the Aiel in general, or other storylines linked to The Dragon Reborn (apart from Rand’s solo adventure), so there’s obviously huge amounts of material from the season missing from this brief teaser.

New material is hinted at, such as Nynaeve learning to fight physically, possibly a result of her learning more about her wilder’s block and needing another way of protecting herself. We also know that the pursuit of the Horn is going to be somewhat different, with neither Mat nor Rand taking part, but what exactly they’ll be getting up to in the meantime is unclear. I suspect we’ll be getting some of Mat’s adventures in Tar Valon from The Dragon Reborn and some of the material from Rand’s solo adventure from the same book.

At the New York Comic Con today, Prime Video hosted a joint Wheel of Time and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power panel. The Wheel of Time started off first. It was streamed live on the popverse site, but to watch the full panel now that it's over you'll need a digital ticket. Just a warning, the clips were blocked so only those in the room could see them. 

Actors Marcus Rutherford, Madeleine Madden, and Daniel Henny were joined by showrunner Rafe Judkins and two new actors for season two - Dónal Finn (Mat Cauthon), and Ceara Coveney (Elayne Trakand). 

The panel began with a short introduction from Rosamund Pike, followed by some discussion of Perrin, Egwene, and Lan’s character arcs in season two. The clip from Rosamund was shared to instagram.

The next clip was the cold opening for Season one, Episode 7: The Blood Snow.

Then, they introduced Dónal Finn as Mat Cauthon. Dónal is taking over the character after actor Barney Harris left the show during filming of the first season. The clip was only shown to folks in the room, but The Wheel of Time social media channels posted a photo of Dónal as Mat.

We’re ready to toss the dice on this one. Dónal Finn is Mat Cauthon. #TheWheelOfTime #WoTNYCC pic.twitter.com/Dk5eLA0Y1h

— The Wheel Of Time (@TheWheelOfTime) October 7, 2022

Donal joined the group onstage to discuss his role as mat in season 2. Next they began to discuss a major new character - Elayne Trakand, Daughter Heir of Andor, played by Ceara Coveney. The group at the comic con were shown a clip of Elayne in the White Tower, and again The Wheel of Time social media accounts posted a photo of Ceara as Elayne in novice white.

We’ve been waiting. Ceara Coveney is Elayne Trakand #TheWheelOfTime #WoTNYCC pic.twitter.com/yiW0iAFS0o

— The Wheel Of Time (@TheWheelOfTime) October 7, 2022

The final clip was a sneak peek of season two. The Wheel of Time also posted it to YouTube, so check it out here: 

There's a lot there for fans to dissect and discuss! 

Finally they ended the panel with some audience questions. Stay tuned for our full breakdown of the panel! What did you guys think? Let us know in the comments below what you can't wait to see in Season Two. 

Katy is a news contributor for Dragonmount. You can follow her as she shares her thoughts on The Wheel of Time TV Show on Instagram and Twitter @KatySedai

Showrunner Rafe Judkins answered questions about season two of The Wheel of Time on Prime Video. Recent announcements came during the San Diego Comic-Con panel focused on the Wheel of Time Origin shorts. They announced more Origin episodes are coming in August, released a season 2 sizzle reel, and announced that the television show is renewed for season 3!

After the panel, Rafe posted to Twitter that he’d answer questions on season two.

Chilling with a gin and tonic at SDCC before dinner, anyone got WoT Season Two questions?

— Rafe Judkins (@rafejudkins) July 22, 2022

Rafe answered a lot questions (there are over 400 replies to his post), but here are the highlights:

Rafe shared thoughts on the general plotting of season two and where the story may take us. Many fans speculated, but Rafe confirmed, that season two will cover book two: The Great Hunt and book three: The Dragon Reborn. The third season just announced will cover book four: The Shadow Rising. Mat’s plot was changed the most, but by the end of season two his plot will line up for the events in book four. This makes a lot of sense, since Mat’s character didn’t really shine until book three.

Rafe also expanded on what’s in store for Moiraine and Lan. Rosamund Pike and Daniel Henney are big stars for the show, and it makes sense to give them a bit more to do. This will be a rather large change to the story, so it will be interesting to see how the wheel turns for those two characters!

Rafe also gave fans confirmation of a few fan favorite characters and scenes. We will be seeing everyone’s favorite wolfbrother: Hopper. We also will have scenes with Egwene and Renna (which means more of the Seanchan plot from book 2). We will love to hate Kate Fleetwood as Liandrin.

Rafe gave us some clues about what to expect from the shadow this season. The darkfriend social, which opens book 2, will be in the show. It’s a fantastic scene, and should make for great sleuthing and speculating. Rafe confirmed we will see more than one forsaken, and that they will have an expanded role closer to what we see in later books than what’s in books 2 and 3.

Rafe also gave us some background on season one. The first was about Uno - that he was breathing. Some fans thought Uno died after he was stabbed with the tainted dagger, but it sounds like Uno will live to swear again.  Many fans had questions about the Egwene - Nynaeve scene in the finale of season one. Rafe shared that the scene was changed at the very last minute due to COVID restrictions, and the original plan was for Egwene to help Nynaeve using Wisdom skills. It sucks for everyone that these compromises had to be made. 

Finally, Rafe shared that we will continue to see the cold opens for the episodes as an ode to the point of view chapters in the books. It’s just one of the ways the team has adapted the written story to television. And WE WILL GET LONGER EPISODES. Great news and we can’t wait to see how The Wheel of Time team uses some extra time to tell this beloved story.

There's a lot to still learn about season two (we haven't heard when it will premiere), but hopefully this gives everyone plenty to speculate and theorize over until we can watch new episodes of The Wheel of Time on our screens again. What's your favorite answer from Rafe? Anything important that we missed? (400 replies is a lot to shift through!) Let us know in the comments below or in our forums. 

Adam Whitehead is Dragonmount's TV blogger. Adam has been writing about film and television, The Wheel of Time, and other genre fiction for over fifteen years, and was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 2020. Be sure to check out his websites, The Wertzone and Atlas of Ice and Fire (including The Wheel of Time Atlas!) as well as his Patreon.

At the moment there’s a huge amount of hype swirling for the imminent launch of two fantasy shows based on literary properties: House of the Dragon, a forerunner to Game of Thrones, hits HBO on August 21^st. Lord of the Rings prequel The Rings of Power follows that up on Amazon on 2 September. Both shows have recently dropped new trailers and started the marketing process.

With those two behemoths facing off, it’s understandable that Amazon is holding fire on the marketing for Season 2 of The Wheel of Time. Season 2 of the series wrapped back in May but so far we haven’t had much news about the launch date for the show (although we now have a Season 3 renewal confirmation!). Given that Season 1 wrapped in May 2021 and the show launched in November 2021, it might be logical to assume that Season 2 will likewise appear on Amazon before the end of the year. Indeed, fans and content creators have been debating this point for a while.

Looking at the timeline of how Amazon shot and then marketed Season 1 might be interesting:

• 19 September 2019: Season 1 starts shooting
• 17 March 2021: First brief teaser footage released
• 28 April 2021: Season 2 greenlit
• 14 May 2021: Season 1 wraps
• 30 June 2021: Logo revealed
• 19 July 2021: Season 2 starts shooting
• 23 July 2021: Poster revealed
• 18 August 2021: Publicity images revealed
• 2 September 2021: First trailer, release date confirmed
• 9 October 2021: First clip released
• 27 October 2021: Second trailer released
• 19 November 2021: Season 1 premiere
• 19 May 2022: Season 2 wraps shooting
• 21 July 2022: Season 3 greenlit, Season 2 behind-the-scenes teaser released

Based on the precedent from Season 1, we might be expecting publicity images and maybe a poster to emerge in the next month or so, followed by a trailer in September and Season 2 to premiere in November. No problem, right?

There are, however, two major differences compared to the launch of Season 1.

The first is the impact of COVID. Season 1 filmed over twenty months with two shutdowns of production caused by filming restrictions. The longest gap fell between the completion of shooting on Episodes 1-6 and the start of shooting Episodes 7-8 (it was during this gap that Barney Harris left for reasons that remain undisclosed). During these gaps in filming, post-production was able to proceed at a solid clip. CGI, editing, composing, etc all took place whilst the show was on hiatus and is believed to have been partially or mostly completed for the first six episodes by the time the show wrapped in May 2021. Thus, post-production was really only required for the last two episodes once shooting ended in May 2021.

Whilst I have no doubt that some editing, vfx work etc started for Season 2 before it wrapped, it does appear that post-production was in a less advanced state then it was when Season 1 wrapped. So, more work and presumably more time is required for Season 2’s post-production requirements.

The second issue is more obvious: Amazon are launching The Rings of Power with a double-episode bonanza on 2 September. The remainder of the eight-episode first season will be released once a week, taking them through 14 October (this may be less relevant, but House of the Dragon will release episodes from 21 August through 23 October). Amazon may feel leery about immediately following up The Rings of Power with another epic fantasy show straight away, or even a month later. They also have an additional scheduling problem in that the second season of Carnival Row has been sitting on the shelf for a lot longer than Season 2 of The Wheel of Time (Season 2 of that show wrapped in August 2021). According to Deadline, Amazon has internally committed to releasing Carnival Row in 2022, which would require them to either double-up on original show releases (which Amazon traditionally doesn’t do, at least not in the same genre) or push Wheel of Time to 2023.

Although Carnival Row is also fantasy, it’s more of a steampunk fantasy with a 19^th Century Victoriana vibe, which would set it apart from the medieval-ish fantasy of both The Rings of Power and The Wheel of Time.

For these reasons, I would guess that The Wheel of Time will not debut in 2022 but instead will launch in the first few months of 2023.

On the subject of the renewal, there’d been some ideas floating around from fans a few months ago that Seasons 3 and 4 would be renewed at once. We have seen more and more shows doing multi-season renewals – Netflix’s The Dragon Prince even got a four-season renewal a few years ago – and they’re being seen as a good way of spreading costs around, since shows can now go straight from producing one season into working on the next without an awkward pause (potentially lasting months) whilst the suits crunch numbers behind the scenes. This is both good – you know you’ve got gainful employment for the next two years rather than the next few months – but it can also be limited. When a streamer or network renews a show, they often also assign the budget, and when they renew for two seasons, they sometimes assign the budget for both seasons ahead of time. This is great if you know you’re not going to be ramping up the scale and scope of the project between seasons. If you are, it can be better to be more flexible and go on a year-by-year basis, even if that means a toe-curling wait every summer. Having two seasons renewed can also complicate things if one season goes over-budget: The Wire had its final two seasons approved by HBO in one go, but when Season 4 went seriously over-budget they were not given any more money, but had to “raid” Season 5’s resources to make up the shortfall, explaining why Season 5 was both shorter and had fewer locations.

It’ll be interesting to see if Amazon start any marketing moves towards launching Season 2 of The Wheel of Time in the next few weeks, beyond the Season 3 renewal and “sizzle reel” for Season 2. If we get into September and October without any trailer or marketing information, a 2022 launch I think could then be ruled out.

The second season of The Wheel of Time does not have a release date yet. As usual, we will keep you informed of all the relevant details. For more information, visit our TV show section of the website. 

Katy is a news contributor for Dragonmount. You can follow her as she shares her thoughts on The Wheel of Time TV Show on Instagram and Twitter @KatySedai

At San Diego Comic-Con today, Prime Video released a sizzle reel showcasing behind the scenes of Season Two of The Wheel of Time. There was a panel on the Origins series with panelists including Rammy Park, writer and producer for season two. This is our first glimpse of what’s in store for fans in season two since filming wrapped in May 2022. 

Their journeys are far from over. Get a behind the scenes look at #TheWheelOfTime season 2. pic.twitter.com/K3IVCyMOw3

— The Wheel Of Time (@TheWheelOfTime) July 21, 2022

Fans will be breaking this down for months! There are scenes fans might recognize and some that appear new. Anyone spot a fade on a door and a fight in the White Tower courtyard? I’m so excited to see what else the Wheel of Time team has in store for us!

They also announced new Origins episodes are coming in August.

Next month, the world of #TheWheelOfTime gets bigger. New episodes of The Wheel of Time Origins premiere on #PrimeVideo pic.twitter.com/n76llxVt1h

— The Wheel Of Time (@TheWheelOfTime) July 21, 2022

The last piece of news is that Season three of the TV show has been green lit!  Check out the Dragonmount article all about season three.

What do you think of the behind the scenes for season two? Let us know in the comments below or in our forums. 

Prime Video announced today that The Wheel of Time TV show has been renewed for a third season. This announcement came today, July 21, at San Diego Comic-Con during the "Origins" panel where they showcased behind-the-scenes footage from the forthcoming season 2.

The season 2 release date has not been announced but is expected sometime in 2023, probably in the first half of the year.

Here's the press release for the season 3 announcement. 

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SAN DIEGO—July 21, 2022—Today, during The Wheel of Time: Origins panel presentation at San Diego Comic-Con, Prime Video announced that it has officially ordered a third season of its critically acclaimed, world-spanning fantasy series The Wheel of Time, based on Robert Jordan’s series of best-selling novels. The panel also treated fans to a magical Season Two behind-the-scenes sizzle reel. The first season ofThe Wheel of Time, which premiered November 19, 2021, is exclusively available on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. The series is a co-production with Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television.

 

“I’m so thrilled that we’ll be making a third season of The Wheel of Time,” said Rafe Judkins, executive producer and showrunner of The Wheel of Time. “The Shadow Rising has always been my favorite book in the series, so being able to bring it to television and introduce new audiences to the stories that made me fall in love with these books in the first place is such an honor, and something I’ve been working toward since I first pitched the show years and years ago.”

 

“We are so excited to dive deeper into the world of The Wheel of Time with Rafe Judkins and his team, who have done such a marvelous job of honoring Robert Jordan’s vision and delivering an incredible viewing experience to Prime Video customers,” said Vernon Sanders, head of global television, Amazon Studios. “Season One resonated with the most loyal of Jordan devotees, as well as the uninitiated, who were experiencing this incredible world for the first time, proving this is a show that truly stands out in the genre space. We couldn’t be happier to give fans more reasons to be excited about the show and bring more The Wheel of Time to our customers worldwide.”

 

“Initially, people around the globe fell in love with Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time books and now thanks to Rafe Judkins and his incredible team that epic world has vividly been brought to life on Prime Video,” said Jeff Frost, president, Sony Pictures Television and Jason Clodfelter, co-president, Sony Pictures Television. “We are so pleased to be able to continue the journey and deliver this remarkable story to fans around the world. Sony Pictures Television is proud to continue its partnership with Amazon Studios as we move toward Season Three.”

 

About The Wheel of Time

The Wheel of Time is one of the most popular and enduring fantasy series of all time, with over 90 million books sold. Set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it, the story follows Moiraine (Rosamund Pike, I Care A Lot, Gone Girl), a member of the incredibly powerful all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she arrives in the small town of Two Rivers. There, she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women, one of whom is prophesied to be the Dragon Reborn, who will either save or destroy humanity.   

 

The Wheel of Time also stars Daniel Henney (Criminal Minds), who plays Lan Mandragoran; Zoë Robins (Power Rangers Ninja Steel), who plays Nynaeve al'Meara; Madeleine Madden (Dora and the Lost City of Gold), who plays Egwene al'Vere; Josha Stradowski (Just Friends),  who plays Rand al'Thor; and Marcus Rutherford (Obey), who plays Perrin Aybara.

 

Based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling fantasy novels, which have sold more 90 million copies worldwide, The Wheel of Time was adapted for television by executive producer/showrunner Rafe Judkins (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hemlock Grove). Larry Mondragon and Rick Selvage of Red Eagle Entertainment (Winter Dragon), Ted Field and Mike Weber of Radar Pictures (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Winter Dragon), Darren Lemke (Shazam!, Goosebumps, Winter Dragon), and Marigo Kehoe also serve as executive producers. Rosamund Pike will serve as producer and Harriet McDougal and Brandon Sanderson as consulting producers. The Wheel of Time is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television.

As always, for full coverage of The Wheel of Time TV show, follow us on social media and check out our TV show section of the website. 

Amazon Prime Video has released the first deleted scene from season 1 of The Wheel of Time TV show on its social media channels. 

It's THAT moment! A deleted scene to make your Monday more colorful. #TheWheelOfTime pic.twitter.com/54H0IfPvDv

— The Wheel Of Time (@TheWheelOfTime) July 11, 2022

The deleted scene features an alternative version of the events from Episode 1 that take place inside the Women's Circle cave in the Two Rivers. Nynaeve narrates about the role of women in society as Egwene is submerged into a pool with streams of paint. The paint colors correspond to the seven Ajahs.

This image was originally teased in the first TV show trailer, but never made the cut into the finished episode. 

This clip was first revealed at the closing ceremonies of WoTCon, a first-year fan convention that took place in Columbus, Ohio. A day later, it was released on social media. A second clip was also shown at the convention featuring Egwene and Tam al'Thor. 

(Updated) Here's our reaction video to this deleted scene, featuring Kitty Rallo. 

Katy is a news contributor for Dragonmount. You can follow her as she shares her thoughts on The Wheel of Time TV Show on Instagram and Twitter @KatySedai

The Wheel of Time: Origins Series has been nominated for Best Animated Short Form Series by the Hollywood Critics Association. The second annual HCA TV awards will be shown on broadcast and cable August 13th, and streaming on August 14th. The Hollywood Critics Association is an organization that is known for promoting diversity of film and television and was the first organization to create separate categories for certain streaming and broadcast television awards. 

The nominees for Best Animated Short Form Series are:

Love, Death + Robots
Olaf Presents
Smiling Friends
Ted Lasso presents: The Missing Christmas Mustache
The Boys Presents: Diabolical
The Wheel of Time: Origins #HCATVAwards #SmilingFriends #TheBoys #lovedeathandrobots pic.twitter.com/LeAyYZjwpN

— Hollywood Critics Association (@HCAcritics) July 7, 2022

The Origins series debuted on November 19th with the first episode of Amazon Prime’s The Wheel of Time TV show. There are six episodes, each about three minutes long which explores the lore and history of the Wheel of Time story. The Origin series was originally hard to find in the X-ray content on Amazon Prime video, but the shorts can now be found as bonus features on the main menu or in the explore tab. 

The Episodes are: 

1. The Breaking of the World

2. The Fall of Manetheran

3. The Greatest Warder

4. Saidin, Saidar, Stone 

5. The White Tower 

6. An Ogier's Longing

Written by Rammy Park

Producer
Jakub Chilczuk

Director
Dan Difelice

Animation by 
MPC Episodic

Narrated by 
Ida May
Rupert Degas

The Wheel of Time’s social media accounts also recently announced a panel focused the Origin series at San Diego Comic Con on Thursday, July 21st. 

Will you be at SDCC? Join the creative team and a surprise guest behind The Wheel of Time: Origins as they discuss the making of the animated digital short companion series! pic.twitter.com/Eu9UiOdp8u

— The Wheel Of Time (@TheWheelOfTime) July 7, 2022

The description for the Comic Con panel hints that fans will see something special:

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The Wheel of Time: Origins is the animated digital short companion series to hit, fantasy epic The Wheel of Time on Prime Video. The Wheel of Time: Origins brings fans deeper into the lore of The Wheel of Time and its vast history and subjects. The creative team and a surprise guest behind The Wheel of Time: Origins treat fans to a deep dive conversation into the making of this beloved companion series, along with an exclusive special video presentation that promises to deliver some Comic-Con magic to attendees.

The writer of the Origins series, Rammy Park posted the news to Instagram and said: 

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I’ll be there with the rest of the team and we have a couple of surprises up our sleeve 😬 I can not WAIT to share what we’ve been working on!

I can't wait to see what the Wheel of Time team has in store for us. The animation of the series was beautifully done and it was a great way to introduce TV fans to the background and lore of the Wheel of Time. Be sure to check our the Origin series if you haven't seen them yet! Let us know what you think of them in our forums or in the comments below.

Adam Whitehead is Dragonmount's TV blogger. Adam has been writing about film and television, The Wheel of Time, and other genre fiction for over fifteen years, and was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 2020. Be sure to check out his websites, The Wertzone and Atlas of Ice and Fire (including The Wheel of Time Atlas!) as well as his Patreon.

The Wheel of Time has wrapped production on its sophomore season on Amazon Prime. Amazon made the formal announcement today.

That's a wrap for season 2! #TheWheelOfTime #WOTWednesday pic.twitter.com/sROnpKFzft

— The Wheel Of Time (@TheWheelOfTime) May 18, 2022

Season 2 began shooting on 19 July 2021, meaning the production of the second season took ten months in total.

That’s a huge improvement on Season 1, which shot for twenty months from 16 September 2019 to 14 May 2021. The immense shoot was, of course, delayed by the COVID19 pandemic, which resulted in two breaks in production for lockdowns and filming suspensions.

Despite rumours circulating, Amazon has not so far formally greenlit a third season. They have also not confirmed yet when Season 2 will air.

The second season is always an interesting time for a TV show, either allowing it to build on the successes of the first season and become even bigger or failing to maintain the audience and excitement from the debut season, which can put it on the path to cancellation.

Second seasons can be rough. Producers and writers might have several years to write the first season (or the pilot) and just months or even weeks to write the second season. Sometimes writers just want to repeat themselves from Season 1, leading to accusations of resting on their laurels (the fate of many a Star Trek sophomore season). Sometimes writers decide to throw in a whole ton of new characters, sometimes at the expense of the original cast, leading to criticism (arguably the fate of Lost and Heroes). Sometimes the writer will go really left-field and set the second season in a different location to the first, following different storylines and leaving behind characters and stories from the debut. David Simon pursued this course with The Wire, to the annoyance of not just fans and critics, but also some of his best actors who found themselves with a lot less to do. Of course, in the long run the move was vindicated. For True Detective, which changed absolutely everything including the entire cast, it was not.

Other shows thrive in their second season. They take on board the lessons learned from the first, tighten up the storytelling, maybe lose the stand-alone scene and character-setting episodes from the debut year and move forward with greater verve and confidence. Shows like Babylon 5 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer made absolutely massive strides from their first to second year, upping the quality of writing and storytelling in a huge way and sometimes delivering a season that would go on to be regarded as the best of the whole show. Agents of SHIELD – on which a certain R. Judkins worked as producer and writer – famously had a divisive first season followed by a blistering second season which threw together a whole bunch of great concepts (Hydra, Inhumans and two factions of SHIELD) and moved with tremendous pace and skill, and was credited with saving the show and ensuring it went on for a full seven-year run.

For The Wheel of Time, it’ll be interesting to see how the scales fall. And, of course, as an adaptation of a book series, it has its own unique challenges to handle.

The first challenge will be integrating the new cast of characters with the cast from the first season. To some extent this problem has been reduced because many characters who debuted in the second novel have already shown up in Season 1: Siuan Sanche, Liandrin and Alanna Mosvani are good examples of that. This means that Season 2 can focus on introducing a smaller cast of new characters, since some of the heavy lifting has been done for them. There are a few counter-examples though, of Book 1 characters who have been delayed to Season 2 (like Elyas Machera and Elayne Trakand), and even Book 3 characters who are being introduced this season (most notably Aviendha). With only eight episodes to work with, the show has to be careful on how it divides its attention between its existing cast and the newcomers. Part of this will also be integrating Dónal Finn as the new actor playing Mat Cauthon (after Barney Harris’s departure during the filming of Season 1), giving him time to settle into the role.

To this end, Wheel of Time can take some tips from the second season of Game of Thrones, which also brought in a substantial number of new characters (Stannis, Melisandre, Roose Bolton, Davos, Margaery Tyrell, Brienne) and was able to make them as popular and enjoyable to watch as the (quite large) existing Season 1 cast.

However, Wheel of Time has a bigger challenge as well. With the show likely to only last seven to eight seasons of eight episodes apiece, the show has more than twice as much book material as Game of Thrones to cover in fewer episodes. With Season 1 almost wholly restricting itself to material from The Eye of the World, Season 2 will probably cast its net further afield and adapt elements from not just The Great Hunt but also The Dragon Reborn, and maybe even other books in the series. Doing so in a coherent manner will be challenging to the writers.

It will also be a challenge to some of the fans. The first season of The Wheel of Time attracted reasonable critical reviews and a strong audience for Amazon, but some devoted fans of the books struggled with the deviations from the text, in characterisation, the changing of plot points or worldbuilding details. Season 2 will probably have no choice but to take the TV series even further away from the books in terms of fidelity to the source material, as it has to adapt a broader range of material from more books. Inevitably, fan-favourite characters and storylines will not make the cut.

Season 2 should benefit in one area: how it handles production during a pandemic. Season 1 was three-quarters shot when the COVID19 pandemic shut down production for several months, before shooting on Season 1 could wrap under heavy quarantine restrictions. It’s clear that the crew were scrambling to implement restrictions and make them work whilst also maintaining a crisp and efficient filming schedule. For Season 2 they were much more prepared for this kind of filming, which hopefully should have helped make things go more smoothly.

The second season of The Wheel of Time does not have a release date yet. As usual, we will keep you informed of all the relevant details. For more information, visit our TV show section of the website.