Some new Wheel of Time images have been revealed on EW‘s coverage of the upcoming Amazon show. Whilst the cast has been known for quite some time there hasn’t been much of any official images from the show. So here is the main cast, or at least the main cast for the first Season of the show.
Showrunner @rafejudkins previews his TV take on @TheWheelOfTime. https://t.co/ZnFaHD7WrK
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) August 18, 2021
From left to right you are looking at, Nynaeve Al’Meara, Mat Cauthon, Lan Mandragoran, Moiraine Sedai, Egwene Al’Vere. Perrin Aybara, and Rand Al’Thor. And whilst the story of Wheel of Time begins simply enough, these characters all go on to have their own very complete stories and arcs across the mammoth 14 book series (15 if you count the prequel).
You can see more new Wheel of Time images from the EW piece in the social media post below.
#WheelOfTime first look photos pic.twitter.com/5tLBT0VJCR
— The Wheel Of Time (@WheelOfTimes) August 18, 2021
Bottom left image shows Egwene and Rand having a conversation together. Top right shows Lan helping Moiraine in a dark place called Shadar Logoth. The bottom right image shows the false Dragon, Logain, caged and surrounded by Aes Sedai.
Creative Team On Wheel of Time
The Aes Sedai will capture any man who can channel the One Power, before they can go mad and destroy the World. In this way The Wheel of Time Universe is quite different from the majority of Fantasy stories in that it is a Matriarchal society, not Patriarchal. The only users of magic, called Channelers are female in the beginning of this story. Any males who can Channel are stilled (made safe) or executed before they can go mad.
“These are not just a bunch of princesses swanning around in pretty dresses,” says series costume designer Isis Mussenden. “These are women doing jobs. They’re taking care of the governance; they’re taking care of healing.”
“Just as men are often trying to shut down female power in our world, the Aes Sedai are trying to stop this man from becoming too powerful,” showrunner Rafe Judkins says. “If, hypothetically, one of our male characters were able to use the One Power, they understand the stakes of it from what they see of Logain.”
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If you are wondering whether this show is for you I’d say it lies somewhat between Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings. Like Thrones, there are far more political aspects to the story and some real darkness explored. Yet, it never quite shocks in the way Thrones did, the plot does set up a multitude of well paid off surprises as the story progresses. Though, like Tolkien’s work, there are more clear definitions here between the sides of Good and Evil, with some grey areas in between.
“Wheel of Time is the first fantasy series that really dove into the political and cultural worlds of all these different characters,” Judkins (a former Survivor contestant and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. producer) says of the insanely popular and lengthy books. “It was also one of the first to dive into multiple POV characters, so you’re following an ensemble, with each of them having their own agendas and approaches to everything. That’s always felt to me like the missing piece of the fantasy-literature landscape that hasn’t been brought to TV or film yet.”
I’d say Game of Thrones was equally an ensemble piece with multiple points of view. However Game of Thrones is hard R-rating. Wheel of Time instead manages to pull off a very adult story within a more traditional PG-13 setting.
Is This For Me?
I am currently on book 12 of the main 14 book story. After the first book, honestly I wasn’t impressed. However, that really was just a first step in a journey that just gets better, and better as you progress. Book 10 was a bit of a slog with so much set up. However I read book 11 in two weeks, and I am already a third of the way through book 12. I am determined to be finished before Amazon’s Wheel of Time begins in November, and at this pace I should make it.
If Amazon and the creative team can really get this one right? Hell, Wheel of Time could be one of the best TV shows of the streaming era. It was the announcement of the show which made me decide to finally check out the books. Why did I wait so long? This is exactly the kind of story I love and if you can’t read the books, this Amazon show will at least appeal to fans of Fantasy genre. However, give it time, things become far better as the story progresses from a very simple beginning.
What do you think of these new Wheel of Time images? Sound off below.
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