The Wheel of Time season 2 is due out later this year. The book series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson has a gargantuan cast, but there’s still a lot we don’t know about who’s playing the new characters being introduced in season 2. This has led to months of speculation, as fans have tried to ferret out who will play iconic characters like the Forsaken Lanfear or the Aes Sedai Elaida.
Now, The Wheel of Time news site WoT Series has broken the news that previously announced cast member Natasha O’Keeffe (Peaky Blinders) will play Lanfear, after the talent agency representing her updated her CV to include the role.
Beware some mild spoilers below as we discuss who Lanfear is and why this confirmation is so exciting!
Natasha O’Keeffe will play Lanfear in The Wheel of Time season 2
O’Keeffe is best known for her time on Peaky Blinders as Lizzie Shelby, a former prostitute who rises to become the second wife of crime boss Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy). So O’Keeffe is no stranger to edgy, powerful material, which will come in plenty handy for playing Lanfear.
Lanfear is one of the Forsaken, a group of powerful magic users who swore service to the Dark One during the War of Power, the ancient conflict which led to a global cataclysm that reshaped the world. Season 1 ended with Rand confronting one of the Forsaken at the Eye of the World, but there are 13 of these nefarious characters out there, and they each have important roles to play in the story.
Lanfear is perhaps the most notorious of them all, a master planner and manipulator who plays by her own set of rules. She has a strong connection to Lews Therin Telamon, the Dragon who preceded Rand al’Thor. That connection informs one of the most complex hero-villain dynamics in the entire saga, as Lanfear crosses paths with Rand and the rest of the Two Rivers gang and tries to manipulate them to her own ends.
While it’s been speculated that O’Keeffe could play Lanfear since as early as her original casting announcement in late 2021, it’s great to get confirmation. We can’t wait to see how she brings the character to life on the screen!
The Wheel of Time season 2 premieres on September 1.
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