The Wheel of Time boss says book changes were “essential” to show’s success

Last month, The Wheel of Time fans gathered for JodanCon, where people gather to celebrate the work of the famed fantasy author. News about Amazon’s adaptation of The Wheel of Time has been plentiful.

During a half-hour virtual Q&A, some of the cast and crew teased what to expect from the upcoming second season. Perhaps the biggest bit of news is that Ayoola Smart will play the Aiel Maiden of the Spear Aviendha, a major character from the books that we’ll see quite a lot of as the show goes on. We also heard that season 2 will explore the “darker side” of Aes Sedai Liandrin, delve deeper into polyamorous relationships, and may change to the battle at Falme, which is the climax of book 2, The Great Hunt.

Book-to-screen changes were “essential to the success” of The Wheel of Time show

During the Q&A, showrunner Rafe Judkins was asked what change from the books had received the most positive feedback. While there are many Wheel of Time fans who have hated on the show for the changes, Judkins holds that they changes were “essential” and been received well.

“You know it’s been amazing the amount of positive feedback we’ve received on a lot of the changes, and I think that one of the main ones is just how we structured the season and built the Aes Sedai and Tar Valon into it. It was really important to me from the very beginning that we had to…you know, we had to keep this show on the air so that we can make it to the end of the story,” the showrunner said, laughing.

"And I think to do that you have to show off the best parts of The Wheel of Time series right there in the first season. And so getting Rosamund [Pike] into it, getting Moiraine into it, getting the Aes Sedai into it, that was essential to the success of the show and why it’s been such a big hit. So I think that’s been really, really huge to us."

The first season of The Wheel of Time show does focus more on Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) and the other Aes Sedai than the first novel, The Eye of the World. We get a lot more Aes Sedai politicking in The Great Hunt, and it doesn’t let up for the rest of the series. Judkin’s remarks are reminiscent of when he talked about making the show more of an ensemble from the start, which is something else that only really starts up with Book 2 and beyond.

The Wheel of Time season 1 is available to stream on Prime Video. Season 2 is currently in production.

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