It's been a few weeks since the season 3 finale of The Wheel of Time aired on Prime Video. We still don't know whether Amazon and Sony plan to renew the show, but the signs are tentatively good.
While contracts are being hammered out, The Wheel of Time fans are pushing executives to do the right thing. They've put together the RenewWoT campaign, which has done a great job of energizing people; even stars like Josha Stradowski (Rand al'Thor) and Rosamund Pike (Moiraine) have noticed and spread the word.
The campaign is celebrating some milestones. Yesterday, they announced that they had sent over 130,000 letters to executives (politely) urging them to renew the show; when I checked the site today, that number was closer to 150,000, so things are rolling along nicely.
In addition, organizers are putting together new events. On May 23, the campaign will present a special edition of the Wheelie Awards, hosted by Wheel of Time podcast Talk'aran'rhiod, which is an amazing name. Fans will vote on categories like Favorite Costume, Favorite Fight, Favorite Villain, and Favorite Book Adaptation. (I think Lanfear will win three of those four categories.) Each award will be dedicated to an Amazon or Sony executive, with a physical Wheelie trophy shipped to them afterward in a gesture of appreciation. “It’s a joyful way to say: we see your work, and we love it,” said one organizer. As you can tell, the tone of the campaign is positive.
Then, on May 24, fans will come together for a live rewatch of season 3 hosted by Malkier Talks. Special guests will be announced ahead of the event, which sounds intriguing. “The best way to show demand is to drive views, and this ReWoTch is one more way fans are showing up,” said an organizer. And this is all in addition to the campaign's usual activities, like having flood social media with the hashtag #RenewWoT every Friday at 1:00 p.m. PST.
“This story deserves space to grow. We don’t want it rushed, we want it finished with care,” organizers said. As do we all. The people behind the campaign go a little further and are asking for 12 episodes per season. “This isn’t just about more episodes. It’s about giving the cast, writers, and crew the space to let this world breathe.”
Personally, I'd be happy with just more seasons, but I appreciate the ambition and love how much the organizers are doing to try and make sure that The Wheel of Time story gets told in full on TV. The show, an adaptation of Robert Jordan's epic fantasy series, has improved with every season, and I need to see where it goes from here. #RenewWot.
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