Filming on The Wheel of Time season 3 winds down, but one character won't be included

Amazon is currently engaged in adapting Robert Jordan's epic The Wheel of Time books for the small screen. We're two seasons in with roughly three books adapted. That only leaves 11 to go, 12 if you count the prequel novel New Spring. You got this, Amazon!

We're a bit closer to seeing season 3, at any rate. There are indications that things are winding down. Redanian Intelligence, which always has the latest behind-the-scenes scoops, reports that the show has wrapped filming on season 3 in South Africa, where they were doing a lot of filming. Meanwhile, cast members like Ayoola Smart, who plays the Aiel warrior Aviendha, recently posted that she was done with filming season 3 on her Instagram Stories. Those posts vanish before long, but the proof is floating around on X. WoT Series is also reporting that filming is pretty much done, even if we don't have an official announcement yet.

Basically, bring on The Wheel of Time season 3! It's probably too much to hope that we could be watching new episodes by the end of the year, but with nine months left to do post-production, I will allow the optimistic among you to entertain the possibility. This upcoming season will adapt the fourth book in the series, The Shadow Rising, which will see characters like Rand, Perrin and Nynaeve explore the far corners of this fantasy world. But as the story sprawls, not every character can be fit in.

Sheriam Sedai (Rima Te Wiata) will not be in The Wheel of Time season 3, but...

Screen Rant recently talked to actor Rima Te Wiata, who plays the Aes Sedai mistress of novices Sheriam Bayanar. She revealed that while she won't be in season 3, The Wheel of Time showrunner Rafe Judkins has plans for Sheriam in season 4:

"I’ll give away that [Rafe Judkins] did indicate to me personally, when he was doing season two, that if there’s another season... I couldn’t be in season three because of the books—they couldn’t get her to fit into the story—but he was going, “Look, we’ve got plans for you in season four. Whether that happens or not, we just don’t know. You’ve got to wait for things to be greenlit." But I thought the fact that he took the time to do that when he’s so busy was pretty amazing."

In a sprawling series like The Wheel of Time, not every supporting character can appear in every season. I'm not worried about Sheriam Sedai taking a season off. What's more concerning is the intimation that, at least as of the time they were filming season 2, Rafe Judkins didn't know whether the show would come back for season 4. This is a long story, and I'd love to see all of it adapted, ideally at a rate of one season per year, or as near as possible given all the complicated post-production work that goes into the series. Hopefully we'll soon hear news not only about season 3, but what lies beyond.

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