We’re just a few short months away from the premiere of The Wheel of Time season 2 on Prime Video. Based on the iconic book series by Robert Jordan (finished after the author’s death by Brandon Sanderson), The Wheel of Time tells the epic story of a group of young people who are whisked away from their sleepy village to join an eons-long conflict against the forces of darkness. It’s one of the most well-known fantasy book series of modern times, so it’s great to see it getting its due on television.
And we may be seeing even more of The Wheel of Time on the big and small screen than expected. Deadline reports that a new Wheel of Time animated movie is in the works: The White Tower. Jurassic Park: Camp Cretacious creator and X-Men: First Class writer Zack Stentz will pen the script for this original story set before the events of the mainline Wheel of Time series.
The White Tower is where magically-inclined women are trained to become Aes Sedai sorceresses. According to Deadline, the film is “being described as an action-adventure about a young girl with a special gift whose life is forever changed when evil visits her remote mountain village. Finding herself alone in a dangerous world, she must go to The White Tower to learn how to use her magical powers in order to save her family and friends.”
The Wheel of Time animated prequel movie on the way
“I have been a lifelong fan of the world Robert Jordan created, particularly The White Tower, which serves the mysterious Aes Sedai sisterhood as a capitol, residence, school, and fortress,” Stentz said in a statement. “It was a dream fulfilled to be offered the opportunity to author a new story that takes place within an iconic setting that will be immediately familiar to Jordan fans around the world.”
This new Wheel of Time movie is “inspired” by the events of Robert Jordan’s books, but will be a completely new story. The film is being produced by Rick Selvage and Larry Mondragon of iwot productions along with Quebec’s Squeeze Studios.
”The opportunity to bring a unique visual style to the vast immersive world of The Wheel of Time aligns with our company mission and passion to provide high quality animation that entertains and engages audiences of all demographics,” said Squeeze CEO Denis Doré. “Our team is highly motivated to bring this amazing project to life!”
“The animation platform has given us the means to expand The Wheel of Time experience by targeting a young adult audience while remaining loyal to the world long cherished by Wheel of Time fans,” said Rick Selvage, CEO of iwot productions. “The White Tower is an action-packed adventure, with a transcendent message of female empowerment that will inspire a new generation of imaginative young women.”
Both Selvage and Mondragon of iwot also serve as executive producers on Amazon’s live-action Wheel of Time series, but Deadline makes it sound like this animated film will not be tied to the Amazon show.
That’s not too surprising; Selvage and Mondragon are the founders of Red Eagle Entertainment, which was the production company that made The Winter Dragon in 2015, a 22-minute Wheel of Time short film starring Billy Zane that essentially served as a way for Red Eagle to retain the television rights to the series. They’ve since launched a new company — iwot productions — which will be producing The White Tower. We’ll be curious to see how things develop.
Until then, The Wheel of Time season 2 premieres September 1 on Prime Video.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels