Rafe Judkins, the showrunner for the potential Wheel of Time TV show, answered an assortment of fan questions on Twitter this morning. You can find the entire thread here.
Overall Show Status
"In development." Amazon Studios is the network currently developing the show. The production studio is Sony Pictures Television, working with Radar Pictures. There has been no official announcement about the show being green-lit yet. This means that while a lot of people are working on developing ideas and screenplays, until a public announcement happens, we do not know if a pilot or full season have been ordered. During the twitter Q&A, Rafe was unable to answer any questions related to the project's overall status, or potential timeframe.
Highlights from the Q&A
- The plan is to adapt the entire Wheel of Time TV series.
- Each episode is designed to be an hour long.
- Rafe Judkins: "I want [the tone of the show] to feel adult but accessible."
- The first season will largely focus on events from The Eye of the World.
- But do not expect a straight-forward and literal adaptation that strictly conforms to the way the books tell the story. Rafe Judkins: "... malleable by season and book."
- Rafe has a special place in his heart for Bela.
- Casting has not begun, but is expected to happen worldwide, under the supervision of a yet-to-be-hired casting director.
- Efforts will be made to ensure a diverse cast is selected.
- Gender representation is important to the series, and to the producers. Rafe Judkins: "I think that gender is such a key theme of the books, and discussing gender without a full representation of LGBTQ+ people would be a disservice to that discussion. Rest assured, their will be pillow friends out the wazoo."
- Rafe and his team are passionate fans, utilizing as much information about the series as possible fro every source, including all published books, the WoT Companion, fan sites, and Team Jordan directly.
- Rafe Judkins: "We have freedom to do what we want, but what I want is to stay true to the books"
- Rafe Judkins: "I really want to stay true to the books in creating a world that feels way more diverse than what we're used to seeing in our fantasy tv shows"
- Interestingly, the "Rand and his 3 women plot" might change.
- Logain may have an expanded, larger role in the TV show.
- So far, Nynaeve has been the most challenging character to write.
- Rafe and his team are generally trying to avoid merging characters.
- Rafe is especially excited about the opening chapters in the Weswood, the Aiel Waste plot line, and Dumai's Wells.
We will keep you updated as progress on the show evolves.
Be sure to follow Rafe's Twitter and Instagram accounts, and while you're at it, check out our twitter feed and Facebook page.
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