It’s finally happening: Amazon has ordered to series an adaptation of author Robert Jordan’s much-beloved Wheel of Time novels. According to Deadline, former Survivor: Guatemala contestant Rafe Judkins, who finished third that season, will serve as showrunner for the series. Harriet McDougal, Jordan’s widow, will act as a consulting producer.
Judkins’ writing credits include the Zachary Levi hit Chuck as well as Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., so don’t worry: he’s not just a random Survivor contestant Amazon decided to let adapt one of the most influential fantasy series of the past 30 years. “For so many people, including me, this book series has served as a world to escape to, to lose yourself in, to devour and inhabit completely,” he said. “And I couldn’t be more honored to be the one finally bringing that world to life on screen, for old fans to lose themselves in all over again and new fans to discover for the very first time.”
For #wotwednesday this week, I’ll do something scandalous and give you an actual snippet from the first script of one of those iconic scenes that simply must exist. Introducing THREE key characters ;) pic.twitter.com/uS9pKzwlsJ
— Rafe Judkins (@rafejudkins) August 22, 2018
The Wheel of Time series spans 14 novels (plus a prequel) starting with The Eye of the World, published in 1990. Jordan passed away in 2007, leaving what would be the final book unfinished. Fellow fantasy author Brandon Sanderson stepped in, and wrapped up the series with three final books.
The story takes place on an unnamed fantasy world where only females can wield magic. The show follows Moiraine, a member of a mystical group called the Aes Sedai. She travels with a group of five men and five women, one of whom she believes is the reincarnation of a powerful destined to either destroy or save humanity.
Amazon studio head Jennifer Salke weighed in on the news:
"The Wheel of Time is endlessly fascinating and resonates hugely with fans as one of the best-selling global properties, and we were drawn to its timely narrative featuring powerful women at the core. We’re thrilled to extend our relationship with devotees who’ve found the book series transformative and welcome new ones by bringing it to life on Prime Video for viewers worldwide."
The books are great reads. If you haven’t already checked them out, you could do a lot worse as you wait for George R.R. Martin to finish The Winds of Winter.
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As of right now, there’s no projected release date for the series. Whenever it comes out, it’s another big move from Amazon, which is already trying to increase its fantasy mindshare with a spectacularly expensive Lord of the Rings series. And on top of that, Vulture reports that the shipping giant has signed an exclusive content deal with fantasy author Neil Gaiman. Amazon is coming for your time and money in a major way.
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