How Amazon has brilliantly promoted its Wheel of Time show

Amazon Studios is hoping to make a big splash in the streaming industry over the coming years. Shows like Jack Ryan, The Man in the High Castle, The Boys and The Expanse have already proven to be successful investments. Following the trend started by Game of Thrones, Amazon is now looking to expand into the fantasy genre, with show like Carnival Row and Good Omens already under its belt. The upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel series has already been renewed for a second season, while the writing for season 2 of the unreleased Wheel of Time series has already begun.

Fantasy has taken over our television screens. His Dark Materials, based on Phillip Pullman’s book series, was released late this year. The Witcher, based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels, is currently out on Netflix. Writing for television has its advantages. Writers can set up plots seasons in advance, and with an already established fan base, studios can hope for high ratings right from the start.

The first book in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, The Eye of the World, was published in 1990, and fans have been falling in love with it ever since. When Amazon first ordered the adaptation back in October of 2018, The Wheel of Time books had sold around 70 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most popular fantasy series ever written. With the new show on the way, the fanbase has made its presence known across social media.

Among those diehard fans is showrunner Rafe Judkins, who’s been jotting down notes on his copy of the first book since August of last year in preparation for the show. Not only is he a longtime fan of The Wheel of Time, but Judkins has made a serious effort to be open about what it’s like to take the lead on bringing this beloved series to life.

It speaks highly of the show when the person leading the charge is asking fans what they are most excited to see. Judkins has been engaging with fans and has even done his part to help grow the community. With the help of fans on Twitter, he has created a sort of weekly fan holiday named Wheel of Time Wednesday. On some days, he has given out snippets from the scripts, while on other days Amazon has made casting announcements. These fun, weekly events help keep the fans engaged and excited while the show gets deeper into production. Every week there is anticipation for some sort of announcement, and even if nothing happens, the speculation continues and the hype grows.

The very first casting announcement was for Rosamund Pike, who will be playing the cunning sorceress Moiraine. Fans were happy to be able to put a face these characters, but it was Judkins’ commentary that really gave them cause to be interested:

"…as a fan, my conversations with Rosamund about who Moiraine is, where she comes from, what drives her, have been genuinely one of the great privileges of my career. She understands this character in her bones and I get chills thinking about the day she’ll bring her to life."

Comments like this show that Judkins takes seriously the responsibility of adapting a story many people already cherish. He seems to truly care about what he’s doing, and about doing it right for the fans.

Amazon have created an environment where Wheel of Time fans feel welcome. In turn, a growing community of new and longtime fans of the book series have rallied on social media using the hashtag #TwitterofTime, making memes sharing excitement for the upcoming show. This is what a healthy fan community looks like, although beware of stumbling on SPOILERS.

With all this going for them, it’s no wonder that a poll by Amazon Prime Video earlier this year showed Wheel of Time to be its most anticipated adaptation, even beating out The Lord of the Rings. Amazon deserves credit hiring the right talent, and for appreciating the fans who will be with them on Day 1.

The Wheel of Time is filming now. Let’s cross our fingers for a 2020 release!

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