It's been a couple weeks since we learned that Amazon and Sony were cancelling The Wheel of Time, their TV adaptation of Robert Jordan's beloved epic fantasy series. It sucked royal, because not only was this the first major attempt to bring Jordan's opus to the screen, but the show was cancelled after its third season, which was easily its best. I know I was looking forward to seeing the show only continue to improve from there.
Fans have been very active since the news, organizing a campaign to save the show; a petition currently has well over 100,000 signatures. Could Amazon change its mind and continue the series? Maybe another streaming service like Apple TV+ could take it on? Crazier things have happened.
And while I don't want to completely rule out something like that happening, the latest development is not great. TV Line reports that, according to what it calls "well-placed sources," the show is not being shopped around to see if other networks or streaming services would be interested in picking it up. If the producers wanted another streamer like Apple TV+ to continue the series, they would have to go make their case. If no one's making the case, there's pretty much no hope that The Wheel of Time will keep going, unless a streamer really takes it upon themselves to start the discussion. And with the show having such a large cast and complicated production, time is of the essence.
Someone by the name of Anne left a comment I think a lot of fans can relate to: "Why tf would The Wheel of Time not be shopped?? It’s the best fantasy offering since the Game of Thrones and it’s not even by a close margin." Why tf indeed?
We can't be sure, but it might have something to do with the tangled web of rights issues involving The Wheel of Time. Maybe Amazon has some kind of exclusivity clause that keeps Sony from taking the show elsewhere, if they were inclined to at all. Or maybe everybody is looking at the writing on the wall and seeing that networks and streamers are no longer pay big money for epic fantasy series like they used to, and are letting things lie.
Whatever the reason, it's a blow. I agree with Anne that the show was (or at least, had become) the best epic fantasy show on TV right now, and to lose it just as it was reaching that level really smarts. It also smarts that there's so much story left that just won't be told. Who knows when or if anyone will ever try to adapt these books to the screen again?
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