Amazon Studios is getting into the fantasy genre these days and have just put in a series order for Robert Jordan’s ‘The Wheel of Time’ novels. The streaming giant has already bet big with their upcoming billion dollar ‘Lord of the Rings‘ adaptation and now are going for a more modern set of books. These 14 novels lay the groundwork for an extremely developed universe that could translate quite well to an outstanding televised experience if they can put in the same quality that we’ve seen in the likes of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones.’
The news is so fresh that we don’t have an episode count for the first season, when it will debut, or who will star in it. However, we do know that Rafe Judkins is slated to serve as both the executive producer and showrunner for the adaptation.
For those unfamiliar with the series, it is described as:
The Wheel of Time is set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists, but only women can use it. Meaning that in this series — women hold the keys to power. The story follows Moiraine, a member of the shadowy and influential all-female organization called the ‘Aes Sedai’ as she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women. Moiraine’s interested in these five because she believes one of them might be the reincarnation of an incredibly powerful individual, whom prophecies say will either save humanity or destroy it. The series draws on numerous elements of European and Asian culture and philosophy, most notably the cyclical nature of time found in Buddhism and Hinduism.
Jordan had penned the series for years, and it has been highly successful with a strong fanbase. This is a property which could also easily be adapted to a live-action format. Personally, I’m just glad that they went with the televised route as there is no way that they’d be able to successfully break down the 14 novels into a trilogy of films without cutting out far too much to make it worth seeing.
According to Judkins:
“For so many people, including me, this book series has served as a world to escape to, to lose yourself in, to devour and inhabit completely. And I couldn’t be more honored to be the one finally bringing that world to life on screen, for old fans to lose themselves in all over again and new fans to discover for the very first time.”
While the readership of these novels is quite high, developing it into a live-action format will allow fans to not only put faces to the names but also bring in an entirely new generation of viewers as well.
Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke added:
“The Wheel of Time is endlessly fascinating and resonates hugely with fans as one of the best-selling global properties, and we were drawn to its timely narrative featuring powerful women at the core. We’re thrilled to extend our relationship with devotees who’ve found the book series transformative and welcome new ones by bringing it to life on Prime Video for viewers worldwide.”
While some of Amazon’s shows have had shorter runtimes or episode counts, this is one where I’m hoping we’ll at least see 13-episode seasons if not longer if the network plans on adapting one novel per season.
Are you excited for a live-action take on “The Wheel of Time”? Do you feel that Amazon Studios can do the property justice? Who would you like to see starring in this adaptation? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Source: TV Line
