First image from Amazon’s The Wheel of Time series leaks?

Production on the Wheel of Time series is steadily moving ahead over at Amazon Studios. Filming has likely reached the halfway point, and all signs are pointing to a release in late 2020 or early 2021. Showrunner Rafe Judkins has already released a behind-the-scenes shot showing Josha Stradowski as Rand Al’Thor, noting in the caption that Amazon was “letting” him post the picture, implying that content control is tight.

So will we start seeing images from the show itself soon? Maybe we already have. Last night, the Instagram account louise_v_toohey posted a possible leaked image of the show in action. Take a look:

(UPDATE: The image has been taken down from that Instagram, which you can interpret how you wish. It’s still on the internet, though.)

Keep in mind, this image has yet to be verified, although the production quality does look high. There hasn’t been any comment from the studio or crew so far, although the caption tags David Luther, who is reportedly the show’s cinematographer.

So where did this image come from? Again, we’re flying a little blind here, but the Twitter account @TheDailyTrolloc said that the leak is connected to the spouse of someone working on the show:

Assuming this picture is genuine, it gives us our first look at two very important characters in action. In the foreground of the image is Mat Cauthon, played by talented Barney Harris. Early in the series, Mat is an aloof prankster, but he looks fairly serious in this photo. Behind him is Stradowski as Rand Al’Thor, a sword hanging from his hip. Avid fans of the books will recognize it to be a heron-marked blade, a weapon carried by sword-fighting masters.

As to where they are, that’s up for interpretation, but there are a few likely explanations. The first thing to notice about the scene is that it’s very dark, but if one brightens up the picture, you can make out a few key details. There seems to be snow, or more likely ash, on the ground. There’s broken furniture and a half-torn-down wooden structure looming behind the characters. Mat looks out of sorts, not knowing what to do with his hands.

All of those details come together to suggest that this may be our first look at Shadar Logoth, once a beautiful city now broken and tainted by an evil power. The dark atmosphere and ruined buildings all fit.

Alternately, a bit later in the first book, The Eye of the World, Rand and Mat are separated from the others. They get into a bit of a rough situation. Trapped in a corner, they are saved by a strike of lightning at the right moment. Could this leaked image be the aftermath?

Finally, this might be the aftermath of a Trolloc attack on the village of Emond’s Field in the Two Rivers, where the story begins. Really, it’s hard to tell just based on the one picture, but clearly that won’t stop us from trying.

While this picture may not have been officially released, it’s still a gift to fans this many months in advance. Verified or unverified, finally seeing the show come to life is surreal.

Wheel of Time fans out there, but what do you make of this image?

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