The third season of The Wheel of Time premieres on Prime Video next week. The show is based on Robert Jordan's beloved series of epic fantasy books, which run 14 strong. Jordan was writing them for so long that he passed away before he could finish; author Brandon Sanderson picked up the torch and wrote the final three.
The new season will mainly adapt The Shadow Rising, the fourth book in the series, although if the first two seasons are any guide it will likely pull in some elements from later books. That means the show still has a long way to go. So it's a little disturbing that The Wheel of Time still hasn't been greenlit for season 4; if showrunner Rafe Judkins wants to tell the whole story, and he does, it would behoove Prime Video to give him the green light as soon as possible.
Judkins has previously said he has an eight-season plan for The Wheel of Time; if he combines a bunch of books from the middle of the run, books with a reputation in the fandom for being rather slow, that could work. But it's also possible that Prime Video, upset that the show isn't posting Game of Thrones-level numbers, might pull the plug on the show early. Obviously Judkins doesn't want that to happen.
Speaking to SFX Magazine, Judkins talked about the importance of The Wheel of Time being a very long story. "I can see versions of the show that are six or seven seasons, but part of what makes the series great is the length. It's one of the reasons people read it and it stands alone in that sense."
"But I'm always realistic. I'm sure everyone will be happy if they're like, 'Oh, can you just do a satisfying ending in season 4 because we don't make shows that long anymore.' The truth is, the property doesn't lend itself well to that. My job is to do everything I can to get it to the end and give you Jordan's ending because it's so powerful. It really does stick the landing. If we don't, my job is to make sure we're telling a great story up to that point."
If Prime Video does end The Wheel of Time early — say, give the show one more season but nothing beyond that — it sounds like Judkins' plan would be to tell as much of the story as he could and then let it hang, rather than manufacture a new ending. And I agree that would be the best approach; Judkins is right that part of the appeal of The Wheel of Time is its massive size, and to crunch the whole story down into just four seasons of television would not benefit anybody. I'd rather the story end unresolved than have it resolve way too early.
Of course, the best outcome here is for Prime Video to commit to telling the story over six, seven, eight or more seasons! Much may depend on how well the upcoming third season is received. It premieres on Thursday, March 13.
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