Sounds like we won’t see this key Wheel of Time character until season 2

Fans of Amazon’s upcoming fantasy series The Wheel of Time have more and more reasons to get excited lately, and showrunner Rafe Judkins gave them yet more in a new Instagram Q&A. Although hard at work on this adaptation of Robert Jordan’s 14-book epic, Judkins always manages to find time now and then to reach out and connect with the fans. This latest session was mostly about the second season of the show, which was just confirmed.

Let’s see what Judkins had to say:

What’s the average running time of each Wheel of Time episode?

"Amazon is great because each episode doesn’t have to hit an exact time like you do in network TV. And these episodes are epic, so we are clocking in between 50-65 minutes each."

The first season of the show will have eight episodes, so fans can expect over seven hours of entertainment in Randland to start.

Do the Emond’s Field Five actors perform stunts on their own or do they have stunt doubles?

"Everyone on the show has a stunt double, but most of our actors are really amazing with the physical stuff and doing their own stunts. I’m the only one who’s always falling."

The Emond’s Field Five is made up of Egwene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden), Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski), Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford), Nyneave al’Meara (Zoë Robins) and Mat Cauthon (Barney Harris). All of them start the story in the sleepy village of Emond’s Field, but are whisked away on an epic adventure by the Aes Sedai sorceress Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike):

How are you feeling having wrapped Season 1?

"To be honest, it hasn’t fully hit me yet. There’s still so much to be done to get the show ready to air and get Season 2 shooting, that while I was drinking my celebratory champagne on set after the last shot Tuesday, someone grabbed me to tackle three new problems that had come up and I had to leave."

What character that didn’t appear in Season 1 & does appear in Season 2 are you most excited about?

"Starts with an EL."

Can you say, “ELAYNE!” It’s been rumored that Elayne Trakand, the daughter of the queen of Andor, wouldn’t appear in the first season even though she’s introduced in the first book, The Eye of the World. This seems as close to official confirmation as we’re likely to get.

Elayne pops up again in the second book, The Great Hunt, and is a pretty consistent presence thereafter, so if she is indeed cut from the first season, it shouldn’t be too difficult to work her back into the story.

Do you have the plot of all the seasons roughly mapped out?

"Yeah, between Season 1 and 2 we made a rough map of how the series could break down into seasons. It can always change, obviously, but it’s important to know where we are going and how we are getting there so we build it right if Amazon Prime Video keeps us around for the long haul."

Will we see the actual weaves or just the end result of channeling?

"You’re going to see it all if you’re a woman who can channel."

Judkins is talking about how a woman’s weaves (magic) can only be seen by other women who can channel. That Judkins gets the nuance is a good sign.

What was the most difficult part of creating The Wheel of Time during a global pandemic?

"The human aspect. We’ve built a family in Prague with the cast and crew and keeping everyone safe has been the top priority. Everyone’s ability to adapt and meet the stresses of a time like this has been amazing to watch."

How are you balancing the number of POVs in the book vs. focusing on Rand?

"As I’ve always said, we are adapting the whole series, not just The Eye of the World, and I really think this is an ensemble series, so the first season is as well."

Will we see the Forsaken in Season 1?

"Some people see Forsaken everywhere."

Cryptic, much?

The Forsaken are some of the main villains of the series. One of them has a big presence in The Eye of the World, so the odds are good that we’ll see him, at least.

Will wee see Narg?

"Yep."

For the unfamiliar, Narg is the talking Trolloc from the very first chapters of The Eye of the World.

Did any of the actors end up becoming fans of the book series after getting cast?

"I’m not going to spoil who, but two of the core cast are in a read off right now, and I think one of them may have finished the series."

How many “brands” of Trollocs did you create for the show?

"We leaned into the books and tried to have the Trollocs have as much individual character as possible. My favorite is the one we call Betty."

Will Season 2 take us to a lot of new locations? How big can the world get?

"The best thing about Wheel of Time is the world keeps getting bigger and deeper. And we’ve got to deliver that in the show."

Loved the first look at the Trollocs! When are we getting more?

"Sadly, there hasn’t been a first look at the Trollocs yet. That was some accidentally leaked raw footage. We work so hard to make the show it’s always a shame when you guys see stuff outside the way we have it planned. I’ll tell you one thing, when I met with directors for Season 2 who’d seen the pilot, they all had one thing to say – ‘THOSE TROLLOCS!!!’"

Are you planning a book-per-season, or are there adaptations and inclusions from multiple?

"We have to combine. Madeleine Madden and Josha Stradowski would be 45 when we finish otherwise."

Like we said, there 14 books in this series. Judkins has said before that he’ll probably collapse some of the middle sections of the series, which are known for being a little drawn out.

Will Lan’s warder cloak be featured in the show?

"I love Lan’s cloak in the show. But much like Aes Sedai agelessness, if it’s an effect that’s going to cost a fortune every time a character is on-screen, it’s a bad use of our money. Unless you want to see all of Season 1 in the Winespring Inn. Then you can have color changing cloaks."

Lan is a Warder, a warrior sworn to protect Moiraine. His cloak changes colors depending on his surroundings, which can give him a leg-up in battle. Though unconfirmed, there appears to be a glimpse of Lan’s cloak in a quick teaser released by Amazon Prime Video.

Who has been the hardest character to write for so far?

"Perrin is the hardest. His interior monologue in the books is the biggest part of his character, so bringing him out in the show is always something we have to build really consciously. Luckily, Marcus Rudda just exudes Perrin every minute so it makes our job a lot easier."

There was one last comment that turned heads, but didn’t get the answer people were hoping for. When asked to blink twice if a trailer was coming soon, Judkins responded with a wide-eyed emoji. Looks like we’ll still have to wait on that one.

That said, it can’t be too long until we get a trailer, because the evidence points towards the series premiering late this year.

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