The Wheel of Time showrunner explains why Aes Sedai won’t have “ageless” look

The Wheel of Time is one of the next big fantasy series coming down the pike. Based on the landmark book series by Robert Jordan (and finished by Brandon Sanderson), The Wheel of Time is a sprawling fantasy adventure about a group of young men and women destined to save the world from a great darkness. One of their guides in this is Moiraine Damodred, an Aes Sedai sorceress. She’s kind of the Gandalf of the story, although some of the main characters have a much harder time trusting her than Frodo did Gandalf.

Moiraine is played by Oscar nominee Rosasmund Pike. Just recently, we got our first look at her in action in a tiny clip released on the show’s official Twitter account:

“Do not underestimate the women in this tower,” Moiraine says as she channels the One Power, aka does magic. In a brief Q&A session after the clip dropped, The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins confirmed that Pike recorded this line specifically for this teaser, so don’t expect to turn up in the actual show.

He also answered a question about the look of the Aes Sedai. In the books, they’re described as looking “ageless,” neither old nor young. “That doesn’t look ‘ageless,'” one fan wrote. “Is this something that is being ‘reworked’?”

Okay, first of all, is it just me or does it sound like they’re throwing some accidental shade at Rosamund Pike? Are you saying she looks too old to be “ageless”? She looks correct to me.

Anyway, Rafe Judkins responded: “VFX that require you to touch every frame that a character appears on screen are not great uses of money. So don’t expect to see CGI faces for all Aes Sedai.”

Who is Moiraine Damodred from The Wheel of Time?

Judkins also gave his take on what kind of character Moiraine is. “I would say above all else Moiraine is a woman who is driven to do what she believes is right, at any cost.” As someone who’s partway through The Wheel of Time books now, that sounds about right to me. Judkins also revealed that he made “unintelligible” fan sounds when they filmed Moiraine walking into the Winespring Inn, an early scene from the first book in the series. Good to have a fan in charge of the project.

The Wheel of Time doesn’t have a release date yet, but here’s hoping we can see it later this year. And while we’re talking about Moiraine, she’s one of many combatants in this year’s Fandom Madness tournament. If you’re so inclined, go show her some love:

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