Running for three seasons on Prime Video, The Wheel of Time was an ambitious, sprawling epic fantasy series that brought Robert Jordan's iconic book series to life on the small screen. Despite the show's shocking cancelation in 2025, it still holds a special place in the heart of many genre TV fans for its expansive story, beloved characters, and vividly immersive fantasy world. And now, the mastermind behind it, creator and showrunner Rafe Judkins, seems to have found his next great journey to tackle.
Variety reports that Judkins has just inked an overall deal with Paramount Television Studios to create, develop, and produce original scripted series. While that obviously won't fill the Wheel of Time shaped hole in our hearts, especially since the rights to the franchise lie elsewhere, it may be a step in the right direction for those who loved Judkins' particular flavor that he brought to the show.
“I have long been a fan of Rafe’s extraordinary writing and producing and am grateful he chose Paramount as his new creative home,” said Matt Thunell, president of Paramount Television Studios. “We are amazed by his ability to build immersive worlds, craft action-packed stories, and realize vibrant characters. We cannot wait to build with him.”
“The Wheel of Time” creator Rafe Judkins has signed an overall deal with Paramount Television Studios.
— Variety (@Variety) August 27, 2026
Under the deal, Judkins will create, develop, and produce original scripted series for the studio.
“I have long been a fan of Rafe’s extraordinary writing and producing and am… pic.twitter.com/cZF67en3vD
What will Rafe Judkins create next?
The Wheel of Time faced about as difficult an adaptation journey as it's possible to imagine. Jordan's 15-book series is massive, filled with thousands of characters who each move the story along in their own way, often by small increments over the course of its exceptionally long narrative. The author was a master at this sort of long-form storytelling, and utilized the medium of doorstopping epic fantasy books to the max for it.
Compressing all that material down into coherent seasons of television was an immense task, and that's before you factor in the other difficulties The Wheel of Time faced, such as having filming on its first season disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently recasting one of its lead characters mid-shoot, resulting in a "complete rewrite" of the end of season 1 and entirety of season 2.
While The Wheel of Time garnered mixed reactions from diehard fans of Jordan's work, from where I'm sitting, Judkins did an exceptional job turning it into a TV show. By the time of its sudden cancelation, the show had just peaked with its third season, which included the showstopping episode "The Road to the Spear," where Rand al'Thor (Josha Stradowski) was bombarded with mind-bending visions of his ancestors.
So regardless of the fact that The Wheel of Time was canceled, it seems that Judkins and his creative team at least went out on a high note. Judkins was also contracted to create God of War at Amazon as well, but parted ways with that series in late 2024. Amazon subsequently brought in Battlestar Galactica and Outlander creator Ronald D. Moore to helm the show, which included a ground-up treatment with brand new scripts.
That all leaves the road fairly open for Judkins as he signs on to develop shows for Paramount Television Studios. Will he adapt some other beloved work, or create something wholly original? I'm excited to find out the answer in the coming years.
This also represents an intersting move for the studio. Variety reported that Paramount Television Studios was shut down in 2024 as part of a cost-cutting measure by the company, with all its active projects at the time being folded into its sister production house CBS Studios instead. It sounds like recent deals like this one with Judkins and another with Yellowjackets creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson are part of an effort to breathe new life into the corporation's TV division.
“Right now is a time to take risks and be ambitious in television with the kind of stories we tell and the way we tell them, no matter how big or small,” Judkins said in a statement. “That’s the kind of television I want to make, and I feel lucky to have found partners at Paramount who are also looking to expand, take risks, and create something new. I’m honored and excited to be in at the ground floor for what Matt and his team are building.”
The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, and as of right now at least, it seems like the Wheel is willing Judkins into uncharted waters for his next projects. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what he does there.
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